Laundry Golems and Lost Love
by Lysana
Summary: Cysero is determined to help Warlic, Xan, and the long-imprisoned Jaania for whose love the Blue Mage and the Pyromancer lost their friendship years ago. To do it, he needs the help of Innkeeper Serenity, who has never even left Falconreach... until now.
1. Cysero's Invitation

Chapter 1: Cysero's Invitation

"Warlic doesn't believe that anything can be done," Cysero said earnestly, opening the door of the tower he shared with the Blue Mage and stepping outside to greet his guest. "But _I_ know the world is a wacky place!"

"What do you mean?" Serenity the Innkeeper asked sweetly, looking up at the green-robed mage. "What is all this about? Why did you ask me to come here?"

"I need your help," Cysero answered, looking as deadly serious as if he was about to start expounding on the nature of inverted realities. He stepped aside and gave a courtly gesture at the doorway. "Please, come inside."

Serenity looked into the tower a bit nervously - she remembered the havoc that Cysero's dirty sockmonkeys had once caused when they got loose from his portable flowerbox during his visit to her Inn last spring - but she smiled and nodded anyway. Cysero, she knew, had never meant any of the kingdom's good people any harm.

"Of course." Gathering her skirts and her courage, the young Inkeeper stepped inside, followed by Lore's most eccentric mage.

* * *

A few minutes later, Serenity and Cysero were seated in a grand if oddly-furnished room near the top of the tower. The glowing purple armchair that Serenity sat in _was_ making a few odd squeaking noises, especially when the armrests flashed green, but the delicate china cup of Lady Celestia's own blend of herbal tea, served to Serenity by an entirely tame and demure and only slightly grubby sockmonkey, would have been enough to put any well-bred young lady at ease.

"Well you see," Cysero explained, "it all started when Xan and Warlic and I were students at the Swordhaven Magic Academy..."

"Wait a minute," Serenity interrupted. "Did you say _Xan_? As in, the mad, evil Pyromancer Xan?"

Cysero nodded. "Yup, that's right. But he wasn't always as evil as he is now - and I don't honestly think he'd be insane if he had half a chance not to be. Anyway, back at school he always made a reasonable amount of sense, even if he _was_ angry a lot." Setting down his own mug of hot chocolate, Cysero gave Serenity a steady look. The usually carefree inventor was still acting much more serious than Serenity was used to seeing from him.

"Okay," Serenity said, puzzled. "It's hard for me to imagine Xan as anything but the flaming terror he is now, but I'm willing to believe that you know what you're talking about. So - you three went to mage school together? I never knew that."

"We sure did," Cysero confirmed. "Xan really knew how to throw some spectacular pranks! Of course, Warlic was just as wild. They almost made _me_ look well-behaved! Those were exciting days, let me tell you." He grinned, then went serious once again. "And then there was Jaania..."

"Who's she?" Serenity asked.

"Jaania was the one student at the Academy who always _was_ well-behaved, I think," Cysero said. "She was a very kind, gentle, and wise young lady, well on her way to becoming one of Lore's greatest forces for peace and understanding. Very beautiful, too, of course. She was the love of young Warlic's life." He paused meaningfully. "And Xan's as well."

"Oh," Serenity breathed, her eyes wide. "So that must have been the beginning of their hatred and rivalry for each other..." She suddenly remembered the quickly-cooling cup of tea she was holding, and set it down on the small end table next to Cysero's hot chocolate. "Where is Jaania now, Cysero?" she asked. "What happened to her?"

"That's the heart of the tragedy," Cysero replied. "She's still alive, as far as anyone knows, but she's been trapped inside a giant crystal for years. No one's ever been able to find a way to get her out of it."

"That's terrible!" Serenity exclaimed. "You said you needed my help. What can I do? I... I've never been outside of town," she added. "Couldn't an Adventurer help you better?"

Cysero shook his head. "No way. You're the most compassionate person I know, Serenity. I knew if I asked you for help, even if one of the people who needed help was Xan, that you wouldn't walk away."

"Of... of course not," Serenity answered, shaken by the idea of deliberately leaving someone in trouble. "I'll help you, Cysero. But how?"

"Before you can help, you need to understand," Cysero said. "I know an illusion spell that will help me to tell you the story. To begin with, you will imagine that you are Warlic, the first day we all arrived at the magic academy. Are you ready?"

Serenity nodded. "All right," she said, and closed her eyes. "I'm ready."


	2. The First Day of School

Chapter 2: The First Day of School

Author's Note: I've drawn a picture of Jaania! I just _had_ to put a face with the name. She means so much to Warlic and Xan, and to this whole story, that I wanted to be able to _see_ just who she is when I'm writing about her. :) To see the picture, please go to my author bio and click on my Homepage link. Then go to Fanart and where it's listed by fanfic title, just click on "Laundry Golems and Lost Love"! So far the drawing of Jaania is my only illustration for this fic, but if all goes well I'll have more pictures to add now and then as I keep writing!

* * *

"Full name?" the clerk at the Swordhaven Magic Academy's intake desk asked, holding a quill pen poised above a long, curling sheet of paper.

"Warlic," the young mage in the soft blue robes answered. Looking carefully at the clerk, Warlic thought the middle-aged, brown-robed man looked a little bored.

The clerk looked up and down the paper. "Ah, yes," he said, placing a large check mark next to one of the names on the list. "Welcome to Swordhaven Academy."

"Thank you," Warlic said politely.

As he stepped across to the next table to receive his packet of new-student instructions, Warlic heard the clerk continuing to confirm the names of the other arrivals.

"Full name?"

"Xarymandias."

Warlic glanced back over at the clerk's table, interested and a little alarmed by the controlled hostility in the other student's voice. He caught a glimpse of a very round face framed by short, stone-brown hair. The rather sturdy-looking young man was wearing a bold red-and-brown-patterned shirt and pants, rather than robes. He stood very straight, as if he was at once deeply proud of himself and also very sensitive about how much respect others might show him.

"Excuse me?" the young woman with the instruction packets asked. Feeling a little sheepish, Warlic remembered that he was supposed to be getting his packet.

"I'm sorry," he said, and reached out to take it from the young lady. _Shame on you!_ he told himself silently, moving quickly along to make room for the students behind him. _Above all, a mage needs concentration. How good will you ever be at magic if you can't even keep your mind on what you're doing?_

Warlic stuffed his instruction packet into his backpack, deciding to look at it later rather than trying to read and walk at the same time. A few steps farther along, he realized that Xarymandias was now walking just behind him. He deliberately fell back a pace in order to walk alongside the other young man.

"Hello, Xarymandias," Warlic said.

The other student looked at him, seeming almost surprised. "Call me Xan, everyone does."

_I wonder why he's so tense?_ Warlic thought. "All right, Xan," he said with a friendly smile. More formally, he added, "I'm glad to meet you. I am Warlic. I grew up in a small town near Falconreach. Where are you from?"

Xan seemed to relax a bit. He offered Warlic a small, cautious smile himself. "I've heard of Falconreach, but I've never been there," he said. "I was born in a small mining town that stands high in the Elemental Mountains. Stupid town doesn't even have a name though. Only about twenty people live in it."

"The Elemental Mountains?" Warlic asked, interested. "I've read about them. The forces of nature are supposed to be very strong there. I'd love to see the area someday!"

"The mountains themselves are wonderful!" Xan said, sounding openly enthusiastic now. Then he scowled, and his voice turned hard and unfriendly again. "But the people are nothing to be proud of."

Warlic and Xan had almost reached the small building's exit door by now. Back at the intake desk, the clerk was still asking students their names. One of the voices, more exuberant than the others, carried clearly to Warlic's ears.

"Eh, hi, I'm Cysero! Nice to meet you. Say, did anyone ever tell you that both of your socks are exactly the same color?"

Hearing a surprised chuckle from the clerk, who had been bored a moment earlier, Warlic smiled. _This Cysero seems like quite a fun person._

* * *

The exit door of the New Student Admissions building opened onto a wide, square courtyard planted with a beautiful carpet of thick green grass. Beyond it were various other buildings - Warlic realized they must be dormitories, study halls, classrooms, and the like.

Just as he was realizing that he still hadn't read his instructions and had no idea where he or Xan was supposed to go, a taunting voice rang out behind the two of them.

"Hey, Pyromaniac!" another student jeered, as Warlic turned around in confusion to see what was going on. The bad-mannered student was standing half a dozen paces back towards the building, his face covered in a rather immature smirk.

"That's _Pyromancer!_" Xan said furiously. "Stephan, I warned you on the road to leave me alone if you weren't going to show the proper respect."

Warlic glanced quickly from Xan to the inexplicably rude Stephan. Apparently, they already knew each other.

"The _proper respect?_" Stephan sneered. "For what, your rank as a professor? You look like just another kid to me." He laughed. "A kid who likes setting things on fire!"

Warlic had heard enough. People like this Stephan did not impress him. "It is proper to show respect for any living being," he said sternly, doing his best to sound like his own wise father.

Apparently it worked. Stephan backed away a little. He stared hard at Warlic and the enraged Xan, then shrugged as if he didn't care and turned to walk away.

Xan was obviously not satisfied just to watch him go. "It's not my fault if your campfire blazed up and burned your marshmallows!" he shouted after the departing youth. Stephan looked back over his shoulder, gave a half-shrug and a tiny smirk, then vanished into the crowd of still-arriving students.

"So, you work with fire?" Warlic asked.

"That's right," Xan replied. His eyes, staring after the other student, were still angry, but his voice was reasonably calm as he spoke to Warlic. "I've always understood fire. It's dangerous, but that's because it's such a powerful force. I like the feeling of being able to control it."

"Control is one thing," Warlic said thoughtfully, "but I've always felt that a mage also needs to listen to his magic. There's a lot that the forces of our world can teach us, if we pay attention. Without that vital understanding, you could easily become vulnerable."

Xan swung his head to focus his now-blazing green eyes on Warlic. "What would you know?" he snapped. "What do you know about controlling anything, or being vulnerable, or what can happen if your powers go wrong?" Spinning on his heel, the self-named Pyromancer stormed away in the direction of one of the dormitories.

_Something is going on here,_ Warlic thought, taken aback and at the same time feeling very troubled. _I think something terrible must have happened to him. But what?_

* * *

Finding a relatively quiet spot on a bench under a small tree, Warlic opened his backpack and started to look through his things. He read the simple packet of school instructions quickly; he was to report to a certain dormitory to be assigned a room, then later that afternoon there would be an introductory class session to familiarize the students with Swordhaven Magic Academy. The instructions included a brightly-colored and clearly marked map, so Warlic was not worried about being able to find his way around. The campus layout seemed simple enough, anyway; the buildings made up the outside edges of a single large square, with this open courtyard in the middle.

Warlic looked over the few other items in his backpack. He had not brought a weapon with him; he understood that the school would be supplying practice staves, and anyway he didn't expect to have any reason to fight.

His few other possesions seemed perfectly in order, until he discovered something he'd never seen before in a corner of the pack. It was a thin gold chain with a small, gold heart pendant hanging from it. Turning it around, Warlic saw a finely-engraved inscription on the back in very small letters.

Mother's Necklace  
"I'll always love you, dear Serenity! Now go out into the world and make me proud."  
Rarity: 100  
Bonuses: +1 END, +1 CHA

"Puzzling. I wonder how this got into my inventory," Warlic said quietly to himself. Curious, he tried to put it on, but promptly received an error message.

_Teen Warlics cannot equip this type of item._

"Very unusual," he mused, putting the delicate necklace back into his pack. "I wonder who Serenity is? I will have to ask the Lost and Found department later; she may be another student who misplaced it somehow." Standing up, he decided it was time to head for his dormitory.

* * *

Xan caught up to him later, on the way to the new students' first class. His intelligent moss-green eyes were troubled as he looked at Warlic. "I'm sorry I blew up at you like that," he said apologetically. "I've never really talked to anyone my own age before. There were no other children in my stupid little village."

Warlic looked over at Xan gravely. "It's all right," he said. Then he grinned. The excitement of finally being at this school was getting to him, and he also wanted to put his new friend at ease. "Race you?" He gestured towards the classroom building ahead of them.

The student from the mining village laughed aloud, as a fierce fire of competition kindled in his eyes. "You're on!" Immediately he sprinted ahead, Warlic keeping pace right by his side. Step for step, the entire impromptu race was a tie right up until they both burst in through the door of their first class at Swordhaven.

As they made their noisy entrance, several students who were already inside looked up to see what the commotion was. One of them, a young woman wearing the simple brown robes that were commonly sold to young mages, stared at Warlic and Xan for a long moment before she grinned. "You two are fast!" she said. Her deep, bright purple eyes were wide with silent laughter beneath her long, wavy brown hair. "Will you be as fast with your spells?"

Taking a step forward, she bowed her head slightly in greeting. "My name is Jaania," she said very properly. "What are yours?"

Warlic stared at her. Somehow, this young woman seemed unlike anyone he had ever met before. "I'm Warlic," he answered.

"Xan," the other young man said finally, seeming unable to say anything else.

At that moment, a tall middle-aged woman and a very average-looking man appeared at the other end of the classroom. They didn't walk in through a doorway; they just appeared.

_Teleportation,_ Warlic realized. He wondered eagerly just when the students would be allowed to learn _that_ spell.

"All right, everyone," the newly-arrived man said, pitching his voice to be clearly heard above the general murmur of the students' various small conversations. "Find your seats! Welcome to Swordhaven Magic Academy."

Quickly, Warlic and Xan and the others all chose seats in the large auditorium and sat down. Everyone was suddenly silent; no matter how different they all might be from each other, every one of them was there because they loved magic and wanted to learn all they could about it.

"Thank you," the tall woman put in. "I am Professor Berith, and this is my colleague and good friend Professor Danlin." She smiled, looking out over the rows of attentive students. "You will have other professors as well, but Danlin and I have been put in charge of overseeing the education of all you new arrivals."

"That's right," Professor Danlin said. "We've been in charge of new students for years, and it seems to work out very well!" He gave all the students a friendly, encouraging look. "If you ever have any questions that no one else seems able to answer, come to us. We'll either know it, or do our best to help you learn it for yourselves."

He gestured to his right, and several slightly older students stepped forward from where they had been standing quietly behind the two professors. As they started to make their way through the rows of chairs, Professor Berith spoke again.

"I know you've all been waiting for this part," she said. "These are your training staves. With them, you will begin to learn the intricacies of controlling, understanding, and channeling magic." Sure enough, the older students were already handing out plain, brown wooden staves to the excited new arrivals.

Finally, one of them reached Xan and Warlic. Each of the young men eagerly took a staff, quickly nodding their thanks to the student who had brought them.

Xan simply gripped his new staff in his right hand and closed his eyes, a fierce expression on his face as if he was trying to form a direct connection between his own heart and the wood.

Warlic took the opportunity to carefully study his own staff. It was entirely smooth and plain, but he noticed a small paper tag attached to the top with a short piece of white string.

Academy Training Staff  
This simple wooden staff allows you to focus magic for the purpose of fulfilling your study assignments, and nothing more... Right?

"What a strange warning," the blue-robed teenager murmured half-aloud as he let the tag fall back against the wood of the staff. "What else would we use them for?"

* * *

Serenity opened her eyes, blinking in astonishment to find herself in Cysero and Warlic's tower instead of at Swordhaven Magic Academy. "Wha- what?" As her eyes fell on a dirty sockmonkey curled up on the floor and taking a nap barely an arm's reach in front of her, she suddenly realized more clearly just what was happening. _Cysero cast a spell on me, to tell me the story! Of course..._

She looked at Cysero with very round eyes. "Amazing! I really thought I was Warlic!"

"It's a very good illusion spell," Cysero explained. "You know, Warlic's apprentice Nythera casts it at least as well as I do. She once used it to show me what it was like to be her as a kid! You should ask her about it sometime."

"Nythera...?" Serenity said. Warlic's apprentice had been responsible for a lot of disasters around Falconreach, but Serenity understood that the half-dragon girl was no longer out looking for ways to cause trouble. "Maybe I'll do that."

"You really should!" Cysero said enthusiastically. "Now, I've shown you some of Warlic's past, but if you're going to really understand you need to see more than one side of the story." He stood up from his chair and faced her directly. "In a little while, I'll be ready to cast the illusion spell for you again, to show you the next part of what happened - and this time, you'll live the story as Xan."

* * *

Far away, in a vast cave beneath a volcano, the beautiful Jaania stood frozen inside a massive chunk of sparkling, iridescent crystal. Her mind had slept more often than not in the years since she was first trapped in the crystal, but she found herself awake now.

Magically, Jaania watched the distant tower room where Cysero and Serenity were beginning to set their plans in motion.

_Can you really do it, Cysero?_ she thought anxiously. _Can you heal Xan's pain, and free Warlic from the burden of guilt he has been living with all these years?_

If Jaania could have cried inside her crystal prison, there would have been tears in her eyes now. Instead, those same tears burned unshed in her heart. _In the name of all that is good... I hope so._

* * *

Author's Note: Yes, I do mean that in my story Xan is the same person as Xarymandias from AdventureQuest! :) And a big thank you to my sister Razzle for the "Teen Warlics cannot equip this type of item" idea! Believe it or not, when she thought of that line and agreed to let me use it, that was what gave me the whole idea of including the illusion spell and telling about what happened back at Swordhaven Magic Academy! So I owe you a lot, Razzle. XD!


	3. Student Rivalry

Chapter 3: Student Rivalry

"I trust you, Cysero," Serenity said, even though she was feeling more than a little nervous. "I'm ready to learn what it's like to be Xan."

"Just a minute," Cysero said, sounding a bit distracted. He was moving busily around the room, but didn't appear to be actually doing anything. As he moved from one table to the next, picking up various items and bottles of potions seemingly at random and then putting them quickly down again, Serenity settled herself back in her chair to wait. The little blue sockmonkey was still asleep on the floor in front of her, its face with the rather swashbuckling bandanna pillowed on one of its arms.

"Hey, I just realized something!" Serenity exclaimed, startled. "Back then, in the time you showed me - Xan wasn't on fire!"

Cysero gave her an incredibly sad look. "That's right," he said. "That didn't happen until a while later."

The way he said it alarmed Serenity somehow. What did he mean about something 'happening'? _And he looks so sad... Whatever it is, it can't have been good._ Serenity realized she was going to have to learn a lot more before she would have the whole picture of everything that was going on here.

"There!" Cysero said triumphantly. He circled back around the room to face her, and held up his left pointer finger in his trademark Cysero victory sign. "Okay, Serenity, I'm ready. Here goes the illusion spell!"

Serenity smiled and nodded in agreement. Cysero waved one hand towards her, and she felt the spell transporting her back into the memories of Xan's past.

* * *

"What are you doing, Warlic?" Jaania called up in alarm.

"Showing off," Warlic replied promptly and proudly.

"That sounds fun!" Cysero said with a thumbs-up gesture and a broad grin. Standing next to him, Jaania stared up at Warlic with wide eyes.

With a theatrical bow to the six or eight students on the ground, Warlic hopped off the edge of the dormitory roof.

Before he could fall, Xan saw Warlic make a small, controlled gesture with one hand. A narrow strip of ice appeared in the air under his feet, shining white and silver in the bright spring sunshine.

The white-haired, blue-robed student slid quickly down his slender ice-ramp, both arms held straight out to the sides for balance. Xan saw him grinning as he whizzed along. Landing on the ground, he bowed again. Then he turned around and held up his right hand towards the floating ice. It shimmered briefly and disappeared, vaporizing in midair, and then Warlic faced forward again.

"Try doing _that_, Xan!" Warlic said rather smugly.

Xan stared at him angrily. _Warlic knows that I'm not good with ice spells!_ Then he had an idea. _Yes! My own element can help me here._

"You're on!" he said, to everyone's apparent surprise. Their reaction angered him further. _I'll show them all! This will be tricky, but I know I can do it._

Quickly, he climbed the ladder to the top of the roof that Warlic had just sailed down from. He was about to walk to the edge, but out of the corner of his eye he saw the next level of the roof. Its peaked top, above the dormitory's partial attic, reached several feet higher than where Xan now stood. Defiantly, he turned and walked to a spot just beneath the edge of that higher roof.

Looking down once to make sure Jaania was watching - she was, along with the rest of the small crowd of students who had gathered by now - Xan reached up above his head and grabbed the edge of the attic roof with both hands. Easily, with the strength and climbing skill that came from growing up in a town surrounded by mountains and cliffs, he pulled himself up and climbed right onto the top. He walked to the very peak of the roof, then turned to face the watching students again.

Xan reached into his backpack and pulled out the sturdy, smoke-gray cape that his mother had made for him a few years ago. He didn't need to read the tag she had lovingly stitched into it; he knew by heart what it said.

Smoky Cape  
A durable, practical cape that will always keep you warm no matter where you go. Woven from the gray wool of the mountain sheep who graze on the firegrass on the slopes of Mt. Shining Star.  
Bonuses: +3 END, +2 LUK

He carefully took hold of the cape by its four corners, two in each hand. Then, summoning the fiery power that always burned deep in his heart, the young Pyromancer called forth a sloping path of flames in midair, leading from where he stood down to the ground - but some distance below the route he planned to follow. He smiled proudly at the cries of amazement that he heard from down below. Was one of those voices Jaania's?

When the flames were burning fiercely, Xan took several steps backwards along the top edge of the roof, then ran forward and fearlessly leaped off the edge. Holding up his cape above his head, he used it to catch the updrafts of heated air from the fires. The strong fabric ballooned out, supporting his weight long enough for him to drift smoothly downward along his burning path with his feet several inches above the tops of the flames.

As he reached the ground, he let the fires die behind him. Looking challengingly at Warlic, he smiled, his green eyes snapping with pride. "Told you so," he said triumphantly.

"Yeah, well just wait until next time!" Warlic shot back.

"It'll be the same thing again," Xan said confidently. "You can't outdo me!"

He looked around, searching the crowd for a second or two until he saw Jaania. He hoped she would look impressed, maybe even amazed, but instead she was shaking her head in dismay.

As Warlic turned to face her as well, she gave them a stern look out of her beautiful purple eyes. "You could both have gotten yourselves killed," she said. Then she turned and walked into a nearby classroom building, her spellbook and little green study book tucked firmly under one arm as usual.

_It must not have been spectacular enough,_ Xan thought. _She wasn't impressed._ Glancing at his rival, he saw that Warlic seemed to be thinking similar thoughts. _No matter! Next time, I'll really show her that I'm better than Warlic!_

* * *

It had been six months since Xan and Warlic had first come to the Swordhaven Magic Academy. The zany but easygoing Cysero had enrolled on the same day; so, it turned out, had Jaania.

Ever since that first day, when Jaania had seen Warlic and Xan racing against each other into a classroom, the rivalry between the two of them had become gradually more intense. They had quickly become close friends, to begin with, and that had meant a lot to Xan. Growing up in a town full of boring adult miners who often ignored him, he had wished many times for a friend his own age.

Lately, though, their friendship was becoming very strained. They were both wildly eager to impress the incredible Jaania, and one thing had led to another until they found themselves in the middle of an all-out prank war and show-off contest.

_Warlic keeps trying to make me look like an idiot in front of Jaania!_ Xan thought angrily, shaking his head sharply from side to side as he walked down a school hallway without paying the least attention to the other students going by. _I can't let him get away with it. I have to show her that __he's__ the numbskull who's not worthy of her!_

* * *

A few minutes later, Xan pushed open the door of his dorm room and walked in, still wondering just what he could try next to show Jaania how spectacular he was.

His roommate Curtis wasn't there; he rarely showed up during the day. Xan didn't care. _The guy's boring anyway. He never comes up with any new spells __and__ he doesn't know how to have fun. He just spends all his time studying what other people tell him._ Xan shook his head, annoyed. He didn't think Curtis would ever make a very good mage, and it struck him as a waste of time for someone that unambitious to be a student here at all.

Only then did Xan realize that he was still holding his gray cape, clutched in his right hand. He glanced down at it; there was a bit of a smoke-smell coming from the fabric, but he knew without checking that even if it had actually come into contact with the magic flames he had called earlier, it would still be undamaged. Xan had figured out fairly early on in his life that if he was going to be a fire mage, he would have to learn how to fireproof a thing or two. He'd had various levels of success with different materials, but had pretty readily been able to design a spell that worked very well on fabric and he had cast it on his Smoky Cape just after his mother gave it to him.

_Mother,_ he thought, as he shook out the cape and carefully folded it back into his backpack. _Thank you._ He remembered how joyful he had been when she surprised him with it for his birthday, back when he was just turning fourteen. The soft, warm cape was still one of his most treasured possessions.

Especially now.

His mother and father had died in a terrible accident the same day he left home to come here to the Academy last fall. Xan still wasn't certain exactly why their house had caught fire, but he knew very well that it must have had something to do with his own magic. It had happened suddenly when he was already far along the road leading out of the mountains; by the time he had run back to try and stop the fire, it was too late.

_Perhaps it was one of my experiments that I didn't put out properly, even though I thought I had taken care of them all. Maybe it was my anger at the stupid town I was finally leaving that made my house blow up in a ball of flames behind me. Either way, my parents are dead._

The memory didn't make Xan cry. He never cried. He was too strong to cry.

_But I miss you, Mother,_ he thought, clenching his right hand into a fist. _And you too, Father, even if you never spent very much time with me because you were so busy with your old mine._

* * *

Serenity was _not_ Xan, and she _did_ cry when she came back to herself in Cysero's tower room. "Xan lost his parents?" she said through her tears. "That's terrible! I can hardly even imagine how I'd feel if anything happened to Mother or Father."

"I know," Cysero said. His usual happy smile was, for the moment, nowhere to be seen. "I feel the same way about my own parents, even if they _were_ always yelling at me to do my laundry and clean my room more often when I was a kid."

Cooing softly, the little sockmonkey that had brought the tea earlier jumped up into Serenity's lap and started wiping away her tears with the gray, grubby socks it wore on its front paws. After a rather astonished instant, Serenity found that she didn't mind.

"Thank you," she told it, petting its furry blue head and little ears behind its bandanna. "You're a cute little guy, you know that?"

The sockmonkey started nodding excitedly, chattering and laughing in delight. Suddenly it half-jumped, half-swarmed from her lap up to her shoulder and snuggled into the side of her hair, even though it was really too big to perch there. A moment later it was playing with her ruffled white headband in obvious fascination.

Cysero and Serenity looked at each other and laughed in spite of it all. "Maybe Xan should get a pet!" Cysero said brightly. "They're great to have around, a real stress-reducer."


	4. Which Way?

Chapter 4: Which Way?

"So you see," Cysero explained, "the mining town where Xan grew up is the same town that's now called Lymcrest, out near where Warlic has his tent set up in the mountains beyond that portal of his. That's why Xan tried to destroy Lymcrest recently - he wanted to get back at them for the way he thought they mistreated him in his childhood."

"And that's when Warlic and that Adventurer had to stop him," Serenity recalled. "I remember suggesting Yulgar's blacksmith shop to that hero as a good place to buy a powerful ice weapon." She reached up to pet the blue sockmonkey that was now snuggled half-awake on her shoulder. "But what else do I need to understand about the time when you were all in school?"

"There are two more parts of the story I still need to tell you," Cysero said. "The first of them is from Jaania's perspective. But there's something else I have to ask you first."

He looked at her intently. "Tell me, Serenity: do you think you've learned anything from the experiences of imagining yourself as Xan and Warlic? They're powerful mages, and they already were even as students."

Serenity thought that over for a minute. "Yes," she said, "I think I have! I remember what it felt like, when I thought I was Xan, to cast the magic he did in that jumping-off-the-roof scenario." She looked at Cysero with her eyes wide, feeling surprised at her own thoughts. "I almost feel as if I could do it myself."

Cysero bounced up out of his chair and gave Serenity a triumphant thumbs-up, smiling delightedly. "You can." There was a sudden whooshing sound, and Serenity blinked: had Cysero just zoomed out of the room, or was that green blur the way he did a teleport spell?

In a second he was back, racing in through the door at an alarming speed and slowing to a stop just in front of Serenity's own flashing, squeaking armchair. In his hands were a simple brown robe and a plain wooden staff.

"Try these, Serenity!" he said enthusiastically, holding them out to her. "I keep some spares around, just in case anyone needs them or I find a use for them."

"Mage equipment?" Serenity asked, feeling just a little bit out of her depth. "But I'm not an Adventurer! I wouldn't know how to use it. Not really!"

"Yes, you would," Cysero assured her. "You're smart and determined, and those are the most important things for any mage. You'll do great! Now here, try it on."

Serenity took the mage robes and the staff, then dropped the robes on right over her dress. Immediately she felt just a little different. Something about the sturdy brown fabric seemed to boost her confidence.

_Or maybe it's me,_ she thought. _Maybe I'm starting to believe I really can do this._ Picking up the staff, she pointed it at a blank section of the tower's inner wall. Then she paused and looked at Cysero. "What do I do?"

Cysero reached out and straightened out the staff in her hand, until it was standing straight up and down next to her. Then he let go and stepped away. "The magic doesn't come from this," he said. "It comes from your mind. The staff just helps you to focus it. When you cast a spell, the magic energy will physically come from your hand, not the weapon."

"Like this?" Serenity held up her left hand, palm forward, tilting the staff back a little as she did so. She jumped a bit as tingles of sudden energy seemed to come to life in her palm.

"That's right!" Cysero said encouragingly with a grin. "Aim it at the carpet, will you? It could use a cleaning anyway." He pointed at an ornate red-and-gold rectangular rug in the center of the floor.

"Okay!" Serenity angled her hand towards the small rug, focused on the power she could feel gathering in her mind and her hand, and sent it suddenly flying out and away from herself. A crackling white ball of light zipped forward from her now-pointing fingertips and slammed into the decorative carpet.

The rug bounced up from the floor as Serenity's magical attack hit. Then it landed again right back where it had been, and a cloud of dust rose up from it and floated away into the air.

"Congratulations, Serenity! You're now a Level 1 Mage." Cysero beamed at her, looking every inch the proud teacher of a clever pupil. "And thanks - my carpet looks much brighter now!"

Looking down, Serenity could see that it did. She smiled, amazed at the realization that _she_ could now wield magic powers of her own.

"Now," she said, "will you show me Jaania's story?" She realized that she was speaking with a bit more confidence and power now than usual. Being a mage was truly an awesome feeling! Still, she didn't let it distract her entirely from her wish to help Cysero and his friends.

"Yes," Cysero said, "the spell is ready. Please sit down, Serenity; I don't want you falling on the floor while your mind's busy in the illusion."

Serenity nodded and sat down again, and Cysero held up his hand to cast the spell.

* * *

As she walked into the classroom and moved to take her place for the lesson, Jaania caught sight of something that made her smile in delighted surprise. Her desk was piled high with a cascading mound of Fire Roses.

Jaania cast a quick glance over at Xan, who was already in his usual seat and staring very hard at the front of the classroom. When she caught his eye, though, he looked back at her and gave her a brief, shy smile before his face went back to looking distant and superior.

Shaking her head a little, still smiling, Jaania moved gracefully to her desk and sat down. The bright red, flickering flowers in front of her were stunningly beautiful. As she cautiously touched one of them, the little flames that made up the petals gently tickled her fingers. It felt warm, but it didn't even come close to burning her.

_Of course not,_ Jaania thought. She knew that other people were afraid of Xan - and he _did_ seem to have a bit of a mean streak with his pranks sometimes - but she was sure that he would never deliberately do anything to hurt her. The way he always looked at her made that absolutely obvious.

The scent of the Fire Roses was a combination of the smell of ordinary roses and clean, fragrant wood smoke. The effect was unusual and very delightful.

As Jaania was just starting to wonder how she would do her classwork with a desk full of flowers, the Fire Roses suddenly flared once with a bright, warm light. Then they faded gradually for several seconds until they went out. Surprised, Jaania looked closely at her desk and saw a faint dusting of gray ash on its surface; all that remained of the flowers.

_Xan must have planned this very carefully,_ she thought. _He knew the flowers wouldn't last long enough to get in my way during class._ She absently wiped most of the dust off her desk, then blew the rest away into the air in a few little gray puffs. Just as Professor Berith walked into the classroom, Jaania got out her spellbook and laid it on the desk in front of her. Then she looked up as the professor started talking, and focused her mind on the lesson.

* * *

"Welcome to this morning's class," Professor Berith said. "As I know you all remember, this is the day when each of you has been asked to prepare a demonstration of powerful magic to show to all of us. I trust you are all ready?"

There was a unanimous collection of nods and brief statements of agreement from the few dozen students in the room. Looking around, Jaania saw that quite a few of them had brought various magical items, which they had placed on their desks or leaned against the sides of their chairs. Many others, including Jaania herself, had brought nothing unusual to class: the displays they planned would not require any special equipment or components.

"Very good," Professor Berith said in pleased approval. She opened a small notebook and set it on the tall desk she stood next to. "We'll handle this alphabetically in order to avoid confusion."

Several of the students, beginning with a young woman called Amaranth, stepped up to the front of the classroom one at a time as Professor Berith called their names. Each of them demonstrated an example of the most powerful magic he or she could think of - some involving plants or animals, others that made use of one of Lore's many different types of elements.

Then Professor Berith asked Xan's roommate Curtis to come forward. Looking rather nervous, the young man walked up to her desk.

"Well, hi," he said a bit awkwardly. "Okay, what I'm going to show you today is an example of a healing potion." He reached into his backpack and pulled out a glass bottle of a clear, bright red potion, which he set down on the professor's desk. "My little sister Reens always says she's going to be an alchemist when she grows up. She's forever asking me questions about it - well, I didn't know much of anything, but big brothers are supposed to have all the answers, right? So I've been over to the Royal Alchemy Academy a few times, finding things out for her... and, well, I made this. I tested some out of the same batch and it really works, too!" He self-consciously put up a hand and rubbed at the back of his head, then grinned. "You asked us to show you powerful magic, and I figure that healing's got to be pretty powerful. If you run out of health and can't recover it, that's a big problem no matter what other spells you know, right?"

Professor Berith smiled proudly at him. "That's a wonderful example of powerful and useful magic, Curtis," she told him. "Thank you."

Curtis gave her a quick, respectful nod, then picked up his potion and went straight back to his seat. Jaania thought he looked relieved that his moment of public speaking was over.

The next student that Professor Berith called was Cysero. Jaania sat up straighter and watched carefully as he strolled up to the front of the room with his spellbook. His confidence and laid-back manner were a complete contrast to Curtis' shyness. The thing was, he was _so_ confident that sometimes he tried things that weren't necessarily very safe ideas. Jaania hoped he wouldn't do anything disastrous today.

"Okay!" Cysero said brightly. He plunked his spellbook down on the teacher's desk. "The way I see it, transformation is some of the most powerful magic there is. I mean, if you can turn one thing into another, you can do pretty much anything. Plus it's exciting! I get a lot of interesting results when I try transforming stuff."

Without another word, he pointed a dramatic forefinger at the spellbook. "Wowza! Alakazam!" he said loudly. There was a jagged flash of bright green, pink, yellow, and silver light, and the spellbook disappeared. In its place was -

"A frog!" Cysero proclaimed in triumph. "How cool is that? I wasn't sure exactly what it would make." He reached out to pick up the frog, but it gave a sudden loud "CROAK!" and hopped off the desk. Leaping across the classroom floor, it reached the outside wall in a second or two and bounced right out the window.

Cysero stared after it in surprise for an instant, then turned back to Professor Berith. "Eh... Professor, may I have a new spellbook now?"

"You most certainly may not, young man!" she replied. Her voice was stern, but she seemed more good-naturedly amused than angry. "When this class is over, you will march right out there and find that frog. Then you will bring it back to me, and I will watch and make sure that you get it successfully transformed back into your spellbook." Her lips twitched. "With the windows _closed,_ Cysero."

"Right," Cysero said. Grinning as cheerfully as ever, he went over and closed the window, then made his way back to his desk and chair.

A few students later, it was Jaania's turn. Feeling just a bit self-conscious, she got up and went to stand by Professor Berith.

"I've been told that there is one source of magic that is more powerful than any other in Lore," she said, speaking softly but clearly so that everyone in the room would be able to hear her. She held up her arms a little and looked questioningly at the professor. "May I?"

"Carefully, dear," Professor Berith said with an approving nod. Holding open her own arms, she allowed Jaania to step up and give her a hug.

The exchange of sincere affection between two people did feel wonderfully magical, Jaania reflected, just as it always did. Standing there hugging the tall, kindhearted professor, she suddenly found herself thinking of just how grateful and happy she was at the care that Professor Berith put into teaching her and the other students how to become better mages. At the same time, she could sense Berith's feelings of personal friendship and protectiveness towards all her young charges.

In a moment, Jaania took a step back away from her teacher. They were both smiling.

"Young ladies and gentlemen," Professor Berith said to the whole class, "Jaania is right. She has just demonstrated the single best source of magic power on Lore." She looked at Jaania. "Well done, my dear. There are many kinds of powerful uses of magic, but you have shown us power itself at its source."

Blushing slightly at the praise, Jaania dipped her head respectfully and hurried back to her seat. She hadn't expected her demonstration to receive _that_ glowing a reaction!

Most of the other students were called up to present their examples of magic, each one showing a different and impressive variation of what a mage was able to do. When there were only a few students left who had not had their turns yet, Professor Berith called on Warlic.

Quietly, the handsome young man in the blue robes stood up and walked to the front. He gave Xan a challenging look as he went, then took his place beside Professor Berith. His striking eyes, a pale, intense lavender beneath his long fluffy white bangs, sought out Jaania herself for a moment before he addressed the class at large.

"I have brought something that I think represents a very important type of power," he said seriously. Holding up a medium-sized, faded but important-looking book, he showed it to the class. "I checked this out of the Academy library. It's a history explaining some of the spells and tactics that Lore's mages have used to counter some of the greatest threats our world has faced. By studying it, I believe I have increased my own preparedness to face any dangers that I may encounter in the future." He looked at all of the students, then at Professor Berith. "Knowledge is power," he said. "That's what my parents always say, and that's what I believe."

Professor Berith gave him a look of agreement. "You and your parents are right," she said. "I certainly wouldn't be a teacher if I didn't believe in the power of information myself! Very good example, Warlic."

"Thank you." Warlic matter-of-factly returned to his seat and sat down again.

_That's the thing about Warlic,_ Jaania thought, smiling to herself. _He's just so quietly confident and thoughtful. At least, when he and Xan aren't at each other's throats._ There was something very sweet and compellingly attractive about Warlic, quite aside from his stunning good looks; maybe it had to do with the way he treated _everything_ in life as being absolutely important and meaningful.

_Xan, on the other hand... Xan is loud, bold, forcefully expressive. I can't help being drawn to him... not to mention that he's also devastatingly handsome._

Two or three more students had given their presentations, and now it was Xan's turn. He was almost the last; only Zachary remained to be called after him.

"Xarymandias," Professor Berith called. Jaania glanced over as Xan stood up in reply to his seldom-used full name. He almost seemed to be smirking as he looked back at her. Then he turned towards Warlic, and his face broke into a definite and somewhat confrontational grin. Stalking proudly between the rows of students in their seats, he walked right up to Professor Berith and stood there as if he owned the place.

"I am going to demonstrate the power of fire," he said bluntly. Raising one hand and holding it out at arm's length in front of him, he half-spun to face the window. Before the somewhat alarmed-looking Professor Berith could say a word, Xan sent a bright, flaring fireball crashing right through the windowpane. It left a jagged, circular hole in the window where it had broken through.

"Xan!" Professor Berith was obviously shocked and disappointed.

"Stand back," Xan said. "I didn't ruin it." Walking over to the window, he looked out through the damaged pane. He looked down, seeming to focus on something on the ground outside, and made a careful gesture with his hand almost as if he was lifting something.

Outside the window, a small clump of dry sand floated up and into view. Jaania realized that she had seen the sandy patches outside the school building's windows many times, but had never paid any attention to them. Xan, though, had obviously found them worth noticing and remembering.

As Xan stared at the floating sand, it started to shimmer and glow with visibly intense heat. Small, almost transparent flames seemed to flicker in and out of existence around it. Slowly, as Jaania watched in amazed curiosity, the sand actually melted and turned a bright, hot, transparent orange color.

_He's making it into glass!_ she realized. Sure enough, Xan brought the glowing mass towards the shattered hole in the windowpane and guided it carefully into place where the missing glass had been. He was looking straight at it with a fiery, almost dangerously intense focus. Xan's eyes were an incredibly soft shade of moss green, but that never seemed to stop them from holding a look of bright, seething fire.

The molten glass flattened out into a small round patch just a bit larger than the hole in the window. Slowly, over the course of several seconds, Xan shaped it into a perfect replacement for the glass his earlier fire had shattered. Then, finally, he let the new glass cool until it could no longer be told apart from the rest of the window. It was just as if he had never broken it at all.

"Fire is not just a destructive element," Xan declared, turning back to face his classmates and Professor Berith. "It is also a powerful and subtle force of creation." Then he actually bowed, as if he were receiving applause for a performance on a stage. His face alight with satisfaction, he returned to his own desk and took his place again.

After Zachary had showed off his magic - a dazzlingly bright light spell - Professor Berith looked out at all the students and smiled warmly.

"Thank you all for your demonstrations!" she said. "That was quite a lot of magic to see in one room within such a short time. I can see that you all have a very good understanding of a mage's power and what it can do."

Then she gave them all a very firm stare. "But there's one thing you always have to remember," she said. "No matter where your power comes from, it is a responsibility that you must treat very carefully."

_That's a good thing to remember,_ Jaania thought. Getting out her little green book, she set it on the table in front of her. The inscription she had written on the front cover was a little faded now after several years of toting the book around everywhere she went, but it was still clear and easy to read.

Book of Wisdom  
My collection of all the wisest things I've ever heard anyone say, whether they're new ideas or sayings passed down from hundreds of years ago. I hope I can find at least one thing to add to this book every day. (Started on my 10th birthday - Jaania.)

Jaania took a pen from her backpack, opened the book to the page about a third of the way in where she'd written the last saying down so far, and carefully recorded what Professor Berith had just said about power and responsibility.

_I'm learning more than magic in this school,_ she thought as she put the little book away. _When I really grow up and get out there in the world, I'll have a lot to thank my professors for._

* * *

Partway through the rest of the class, Professor Berith asked them all to open their spellbooks. There was a quiet rustling of pages as everyone (except Cysero, of course) did so - until Jaania heard a brief exclamation of annoyance from Xan.

Looking over at him, she saw that he seemed to be unable to get his book open. It was impossible to miss the sort of smug, victorious look that Warlic shot towards his Pyromancer rival from his own desk a few rows away.

_Prank glue,_ Jaania thought in resignation. It was a reasonably common students' practical-joke prop: the temporary glue wouldn't actually damage a book, backpack closure, or whatever, but it would stick something shut long enough to be an aggravating embarrassment to the unlucky prank victim.

Xan scowled blackly at his book, sparing just an instant's vengeful glance at Warlic before focusing all his attention on his own immediate problem. He grasped the edges of his book with both hands, and Jaania saw deep-red flames spurt out from between his fingers in a quick flash of heat and light.

The edges of the spellbook's pages, along with the glue that Warlic must have placed there when Xan wasn't looking, smoldered and crumbled into black ashes. Xan defiantly flipped the book open, then waved his hand over its pages to put out the few small remaining flames. He ignored the smoke that continued to rise from the charred paper, looking up at Professor Berith over the large, bold inscription on his book's inside cover. Jaania could read the words clearly even from most of the way across the room: _Property of Xan._

* * *

That evening, in the little dorm room she shared with a very quiet girl called Ellinie, Jaania opened her spellbook to finish up some homework before going to sleep. To her surprise, a little note on a square piece of paper fluttered out from inside the front cover and landed on her table. Picking it up, she read:

_Dear Jaania,  
__I've taken the liberty of enchanting your spellbook with a glow-in-the-dark spell. Now you'll be able to read it anytime without needing other lights to see it by.  
__If you ever want to turn off the night-glow effect, simply tap the cover once with your finger. Tap it again anytime you wish to turn the spell back on.  
__Warlic_

"Really?" Jaania said softly, interested and pleasantly surprised. She looked over at Ellinie's bed, and saw that her roommate seemed to already be asleep. Knowing she wouldn't disturb the other girl, she closed the shutter on the little oil lamp that was burning on the table.

Sure enough, the pages of Jaania's spellbook immediately started glowing with a soft, faint light. It wasn't enough to see anything else by, but the contrast between the glow and the darkness of the ink made the words in the book very easy to read.

Curious, Jaania closed the book and tapped the cover. When she opened it again, all she saw was normal paper, barely visible in the darkness. Once again she closed her spellbook and tapped it with her finger, and when she opened it the gentle glow was back.

_What a thoughtful gift,_ Jaania said in her mind. _Now I can study without disturbing anyone, even at night._ She wondered when Warlic had managed to put the spell on her book; then she remembered that she had left it on the cafeteria table at lunch that day while she went to get her food. _He must have done it then._

_Roses and an enchanted spellbook,_ she thought. _Xan and Warlic are both so adorable! How could I ever choose between them?_ She knew that they both cared for her very much; but sadly, their feelings for her were a big part of the not-so-friendly rivalry that had been dividing them since soon after they first came to school here at the Academy.

* * *

Jaania saw another example of that rivalry just the next day. She was walking along through one of the Magic Academy's courtyards, minding her own business, when she suddenly caught a glimpse off to her left of Warlic flying in a long arc through the air above the courtyard's grass. He landed an instant later in a big, leafy bush, looking rattled but fortunately unharmed.

As Jaania started walking towards him to make sure he was really all right, he happened to turn around for a second. Jaania gasped at the sheer childishness of what she saw: stuck to Warlic's back, white paper standing out against his soft blue robes, was a big rectangular sign. In large, bold, black letters, it read:

"Punt Me!"

Jaania shook her head. _Xan. What will be next? Surely they can't think I'm impressed by this kind of behaviour!_

Warlic looked up and saw Jaania, and his face suddenly turned sheepish and crestfallen. She almost wanted to try and reassure him that he didn't need to be embarrassed, but that would have made her feel like she was saying their rivalry was okay. Instead, she just stood there and watched as Warlic dusted a few more leaves off his robes and walked hurriedly away - no doubt already plotting some juvenile return strike against the equally immature Xan.

_I wish they weren't always fighting over me,_ Jaania thought sadly. _How can I even think of falling in love with either of them while they're acting like this?_

* * *

"Now I'm beginning to understand," Serenity said, after the illusion spell had ended and she once again remembered who she was. "Xan and Warlic both loved Jaania, and she couldn't choose which of them to love in return. That sounds to me like trouble waiting to happen!"

"That's exactly what it was," Cysero answered with an unusually troubled look on his face. "I only have one more illusion spell to show you the rest of what happened. It was one of the saddest and scariest days I've ever experienced." He looked hard at her for a second. "Serenity, I'm going to show you this part through _my_ memories."

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, now's my chance to sound like Piers Anthony in his _Xanth_ series author's notes! (If you haven't read any Xanth books, go do so now. And make sure you read the author's notes too: they're at least as much fun as the books!)

To be specific, I get to thank people for ideas I put into this chapter. Thank you to my sister Razzle for the idea of Warlic gluing Xan's spellbook shut, and for making me actually decide what Jaania's green book was by saying she wanted to see an item description for it; and thanks as well to my 11-year-old son for the idea of the "Punt Me!" sign! (Though he originally said "Kick Me!" and it was Razzle who suggested the DF-style Punting variant.)

Did I sound enough like Piers Anthony? XD!


	5. The Accident

Chapter 5: The Accident

Author's Note: What do you know: an update! See, I'm really not dead after all. Even though it's been like EIGHT MONTHS since I posted Chapter 4! Well, I'm really sorry, because you guys deserved to NOT be left hanging this long. Anyway I really appreciate all the attention this story's been getting even while I wasn't updating - you know, it gets more people reading it than any of my other stories! So thank you, I'm sorry AGAIN, and please enjoy the long-awaited and hopefully very dramatic chapter!

* * *

"All right," Serenity said. "I'm ready to see what happened that day."

"You got it," Cysero replied. With a quick gesture, he cast his illusion spell one more time to send Serenity back into the realms of memory.

* * *

"This is ridiculous," Warlic said. He was face to face with Xan in the middle of a school hallway. "All this stuff like 'Punt Me' signs, glueing each other's spellbooks shut... This isn't going to prove anything."

"You're right," Xan replied with a glare. "It's getting us nowhere."

"I quite agree," Cysero put in. He had been heading down the hall towards one of his classes, but had stopped for a moment to see what was going on when he saw the other students in his path. "You guys should really get over it!"

Xan and Warlic both turned to stare at him. "That's _not_ what we meant," they both said. Facing off with each other again, the rivals gave each other a dangerous look.

_Great,_ Cysero thought. He really did wish they would grow up just a bit: at first, their prank war had been funny to watch, but lately it was just getting too mean. And Cysero knew perfectly well that Jaania, the main subject of their competition, was very unhappy about the ongoing hostility between them.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Xan challenged.

"Yes... a DUEL!" Warlic replied fiercely. "A contest of magical skill in an actual battle. That way I can show Jaania my magical superiority over you, and then she won't bother with you anymore."

"You wish!" Xan shot back at him. "_I'm_ the one who's going to win! And then Jaania will see what an idiot you are."

"Um, guys?" Cysero said. "Don't you think you could try something nonviolent? Like, maybe, asking Jaania what _she_ wants?"

"Shut up!" Xan said, and Warlic gave Cysero a withering look.

"Yeah, stay out of it, Cysero," Warlic added. "_You're_ not in love with Jaania. So this isn't your business."

With that, Warlic and Xan exchanged a single, decisive nod. As Cysero stared after them in disbelief, they both went off down the hall, going back towards the area that Cysero had just come from.

_I could chase them down,_ Cysero thought,_ but why? They won't listen to me. I just hope they don't get into too much trouble._ Then, dismissing that worry from his mind, Cysero bounced off down the hall towards his classroom again with a lighthearted grin. _I can't wait to see what Professor Danlin is going to be teaching us this morning! I hope it's something really exciting. Like... explosions!_

* * *

After class - there had been no explosions, but Cysero thought it had been fun anyway - he headed right back along that same hallway on his way to lunch. Turning right, he soon reached the large area in front of the cafeteria's wide double doors.

A lot of students were standing there, as usual. But Cysero quickly noticed that there was something different going on. The other kids weren't just standing around waiting for lunch; instead, they were all gathered in kind of a big circle facing inward. Everyone seemed pretty tense and excited, and some of the students were talking quickly to each other under their breath.

"I'll crush you, Warlic!" Cysero heard from somewhere in the middle of the circle of teenagers. It was Xan's voice, of course.

_Oh, great,_ Cysero thought. "Excuse me!" he said out loud, tapping the nearest student on the shoulder. As he made his way through the crowd to where he could see what was happening, he heard Warlic's fierce reply.

"We'll see about that!" Warlic and Xan, of course, were standing several feet apart and glaring at each other right in the center of the open space. Each of them held a tall wooden staff, and their faces both showed a reckless look of competition.

Looking closer, Cysero realized in surprise and a little alarm that Warlic and Xan were _not_ holding their own student training staves. Instead, these were larger and heavier weapons that Cysero recognized as belonging to the Academy's teachers. Cysero had gotten a closer look at them one day, when he'd accidentally teleported himself into the room where the professors kept their teaching supplies. He clearly remembered the words that were stamped into the wood of each of these staves:

Faculty Staff  
This is used by the adults who work for Swordhaven's Magic Academy. Much more powerful and versatile than the students' training staves, this no-nonsense staff can be adjusted at will to control any one of at least eleven different elements.

_This is not good,_ Cysero thought. Obviously, Xan and Warlic had each gotten hold of a Faculty Staff for their big battle.

"Come on!" he said, stepping forward to stand right between Warlic and Xan. "You're not going to impress Jaania this way. Hey, why don't you put those back wherever they came from and just go _talk_ to her?"

"SHUT UP!" Xan and Warlic both said at the same time.

Xan gave Cysero an absolutely furious look. "Don't you dare get in my way," he said.

"This is a duel," Warlic added, just as furious but much quieter. "You can't get in the middle of it. That's not how it works."

"It's not?" Cysero asked.

"No, it's _not_," Xan confirmed. "When two people duel, everyone else has to just watch. Now _back up!_"

"Well, okay!" Cysero said. "If you really want to get into this much trouble, I guess that's your choice." He walked back to stand with the other watching students.

Xan and Warlic wasted no time getting their first spells ready. Warlic threw a crackling ball of nature magic; Xan blocked it and, of course, returned the attack with a blast of red fire.

The duel went on for a few moments, with Warlic calling on one element after another while Xan always summoned fire. Then there was a commotion behind Cysero, and several students moved a bit to the sides as a newcomer insistently pushed through the crowd.

"Will you stop? Will you both just stop?" Jaania demanded. Her voice was outraged and intensely worried at the same time. Arriving to find Warlic and Xan dueling over her, the brown-robed young woman stared at them both with her purple eyes wide with frustration and pain.

Xan and Warlic seemed to be too busy and distracted even to notice Jaania at all. Instead, they just kept on battling each other, the magic flying quickly back and forth between them. Cysero gave Jaania a quick, sympathetic look, then turned his attention back to the duel.

Warlic's spells seemed to be changing elements faster and faster now. Cysero saw Warlic's hand starting to shake where he held the staff. It looked like he was having trouble holding onto it, but at the same time wasn't able to let go. Wind - fire - nature - water - wind - light - earth... the elements were switching now almost too fast to see.

"Xan - I'm losing control - !" Warlic obviously fought to get the words out, his expression showing clearly that he had realized something was dangerously wrong.

Cysero was starting to feel actually scared. This was way more serious than he had expected it to get! He glanced at Jaania and saw that her face was white as she stared at her two battling suitors.

Meanwhile, a torrent of sizzling flame kept on pouring from Xan's Faculty Staff. There was a ferocious grin on his face, even though his teeth were clenched and his shoulders stiff with effort.

"I'M WINNING!" Xan shouted exultantly. Cysero realized that the Pyromancer was mistaking the unrestrained power surging through the staff for some achievement of strength on his own part.

In the next second, a huge blast of fire erupted from the staff in Xan's hand. At the same time, Warlic's staff flung out a huge, gray wall of magical stone. All the students watching the battle jumped back, as the two spells met in the middle of the circle and slammed into each other.

The mass of fire hit the stone and rocketed back the way it had come. The rushing torrent of stone itself splintered, sending sharp bits flying in every direction. From the crash came a bright lightning-flash of blinding yellow light. It expanded in jagged streaks, hitting the ceiling and then ricocheting to strike down on an angle in several directions. Jaania gasped, and several other students cried out in surprise.

The next thing Cysero heard was Xan's surprised, agonized yell. He couldn't see what was happening for a few seconds, then the smoke, rock dust, and flashes of light cleared enough that he could.

Instantly, Cysero wished that what he was seeing wasn't true. _Xan was on fire!_ The young man from the mountain village was standing there literally engulfed in flames, the fire burning with a loud crackling sound. Xan himself was completely silent now, even though he had to be in a lot of pain. He just stood there looking shocked as if he hadn't quite caught up to believing this himself.

Cysero was horrified. Surely no one could survive that! The way things looked right now, he was very much afraid that Xan would be dead in seconds, Pyromancer or not.

"What can I do...?" Warlic said half-aloud. He stared hard at Xan for an instant, his expression one of desperate thought. Then his eyes went wide as an idea seemed to hit him. From his stricken expression, Cysero could tell that it was an idea he didn't like very much at all.

"No..." Warlic whispered in absolute horror. "Please, no..." But he was already running toward Xan.

Cysero watched, trying to figure out what was going on, as Warlic plunged his own hands into the flames around Xan and grabbed his shoulders. His body tensed and his face twisted in sudden pain at touching the fire, but his eyes stayed determinedly focused.

Warlic said a few quiet, urgent-sounding words; he seemed to be casting a spell. Then, shaking his head as if he couldn't believe whatever he'd just done, he let go of Xan's shoulders and backed away.

"What's happening?" Xan cried out in fury and confused pain. "Why aren't I dead?"

_Wow,_ Cysero thought. _I expect I'd be screaming my head off by now if that was me. But Xan's still talking!_

"I changed it to a healing fire," Warlic said helplessly. "I'm so sorry, Xan! I don't know any other magic that would have saved you."

Xan didn't answer. Cysero, finding it hard to look at his classmate who was being hurt so badly, looked around at the rest of the room instead for a few seconds.

"Oh, no..." Cysero said very quietly, catching sight of something terrifying. "Xan, Warlic... look!"

Jaania was still standing right where she had been while she was watching the duel. But now, she wasn't _just_ standing there. She was frozen in place, trapped inside a huge glittering crystal one-and-a-half times her own height. Both of her hands were raised palms-out in front of her, caught in time between one second and the next of a gesture of reaction. Her books were still tucked under her arm, just as they had been a minute ago. Her face and wide purple eyes looked surprised and alarmed, but Cysero was glad to see that at least her expression wasn't showing any pain.

Warlic stood, stunned. Xan, still on fire but no longer seeming to notice, ran to the crystal and pressed his flaming hands against it in front of Jaania's trapped ones. "Jaania, no..." There was a whisper of tears in his fiery voice.

Then he swung around to face Warlic in rage. "You!" he shouted, his voice filled with hatred now. "How could you do this? I'll kill you!"

"What is this?" Professor Danlin ran into the room, his own staff in hand. Seeing Xan, he raced forward more quickly until he stood right in front of the young Pyromancer. The Professor's eyes were filled with the pain he obviously felt at the sight of something so terrible happening to one of his students.

Professor Danlin's staff glowed with the blue of water. Raising it, he pointed his free hand at Xarymandias.

"Stop!" Cysero said in alarm, realizing what the Professor intended. "Professor, it's a healing fire! If you put it out-"

The Professor froze, turning his grim, worried face to look at Cysero in horror. "What's going on here, young man?"

"This idiot trapped my Jaania!" Xan burst out before Cysero could say a word, pointing one flame-covered hand at Warlic in an accusing gesture. "And he's really messed me up, too." Xan's hand closed into a tight, shaking fist, still surrounded by the flames. "But who cares about that? You have to help Jaania. She can't stay in there!" He gestured in anguish at the large crystal where Jaania was trapped, and the Professor's eyes widened in shock as he saw what Xan was pointing at.

"In a moment," Professor Danlin said firmly, though he was clearly aghast at Jaania's predicament as well. "She does not seem to be suffering. You are my first concern."

Quietly calling an oval of soft blue light around himself - Cysero recognized the Arcane Shield, one of a mage's most basic spells - the Professor gently put his hands on the seethingly furious Xan's arm and shoulder. Moving quickly, he examined Xan's burning face and hands as well. Xan said nothing, allowing the Professor to check him over, but his glowing fiery eyes stared at Warlic with a mixture of pain and hatred. Cysero was getting even more worried; Xan still looked like he actually wanted to kill.

As Professor Danlin's shield faded, he stepped back and turned to Warlic. "What did you do? I don't recognize this magic."

"I learned it from my father," Warlic said, sounding as horrified as Cysero felt at what Xan was going through. "He was great friends with a small community of Moglins who lived near our hometown, and they taught it to him. The spell allows you to add healing power to any element." Warlic paused, and Cysero could see him shudder. "I never even imagined using it with fire, before now."

The teacher put a sympathetic hand on Warlic's shoulder, then looked at Xan again.

"I don't know how to help you," Professor Danlin said in helpless, frustrated compassion, looking as trapped as Cysero had ever seen from an adult. "Are you in terrible pain?"

"Never mind that," Xan snapped, though it was obvious that he was. "Do something for Jaania."

The Professor cast a worried look at the chunk of crystal that imprisoned the young lady, and Cysero's heart sank at his grave expression. Then Professor Danlin turned to look at the other students.

"Someone please go and find Professor Berith," he said, his tone of practiced formality contrasting with the sharp pain that was still in his eyes. "Ask her to send a message to the Moglin Healers' Council, then bring as many of the staff as she can quickly find and come here."

"I'll go," someone said at once. Cysero recognized Curtis, Xan's roommate. Without wasting an instant, the young man turned and sprinted off down the hall.

Another student stepped forward, a girl with long blonde hair and a sweet face. _Ellinie,_ Cysero thought. _She's __Jaania's__ roommate._

"Professor?" Ellinie asked quietly. She was so shy that she usually didn't speak much at all, but right now her concern for Jaania seemed to be outweighing that. "What's happened to her? How did Jaania end up inside that... crystal or whatever?"

"I'm not sure," Danlin said. "Just what was going on here? I heard a big commotion on my way to lunch, but that's all I know."

Warlic looked at the floor. "We were dueling," he said in a voice full of self-reproach. "Over Jaania. Xan and I have been trying to impress her... and..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "I guess it was a really stupid idea. Anyway we were using these." He pointed at one of the Faculty Staves that were now lying on the floor.

Professor Danlin bent down and picked one up. His face was very stern and disappointed. "You took the adults' staves," he said. "For a prank war duel?"

"Yeah," Xan said. "I don't care either if we get in trouble! Just figure it out and help Jaania!"

Cysero had also been thinking about what had happened, trying to work it out. "The staves were throwing all kinds of power all over the place," he said. "Xan was casting a lot of fire spells, and Warlic was just casting all kinds of elements. Then it looked like the staves kind of went crazy. A big fire spell hit a big stone spell, and - BOOM! Well, the fire went rushing back at Xan and I guess it caught him. But you know, there was also a big flash of light where the spells hit each other. Maybe that got Jaania?"

"Stone and fire," Danlin said slowly. He looked almost the way he did in class sometimes when he was figuring something out, except of course that he was still so worried and unhappy. "Sometimes, when those two kinds of magic combine... it can form a crystal. That could be exactly what happened."

Suddenly, Cysero noticed that Warlic had said nothing except in direct answer to Professor Danlin's questions since they had all realized Jaania was trapped. Xan's blue-robed rival was just standing there, his eyes staring out of his set face in an overwhelming expression of personal guilt.

"Hey," Cysero said quietly, walking over and putting a hand on Warlic's shoulder. "You can't _just_ blame yourself, you know? You've already saved Xan's life."

Warlic looked sadly at him and shook his head. "Can't I? Look at them both. I never expected to hurt anyone this way in my life!"

Xan spun to face them and stabbed a hand through the air in Warlic's direction. "You don't even care!" he shouted. "If you did you wouldn't have let your magic do this to Jaania."

"Yes, he does!" a red-haired girl said, stepping quickly forward in Warlic's defense. It was Miranda, one of Jaania's many friends. "This is your fault too, Xan." She faced the Pyromancer accusingly, staring into his still-flaming face. "I'm sorry you're being hurt so badly, but you can't be so cruel to Warlic! He doesn't deserve it. You were both having that stupid duel."

"Shut up!" Xan yelled. "I would never hurt Jaania! I couldn't." He dropped his face, looking at the ground. "I love her," he said quietly.

Then he rounded on Warlic again. "It's you who let this happen! You'll pay, I promise you!"

"Xan..." Warlic said softly, making no effort to deny the accusations even though Cysero knew they were at least partly undeserved. "Maybe the professors will be able to help her - and you."

Xan's head snapped suddenly around to look at Jaania. She still stood motionless inside the crystal, her hands held up in front of her in the same gesture of alarm.

"Maybe..." Xan said quietly in a tone of wild but carefully contained hope. Then his eyes narrowed dangerously as he looked straight at Warlic again. "For your sake, let's hope so." It was a fierce and very real threat.

Just then, Curtis came running back into view. He was closely followed by Professor Berith and several of the other teachers and officials.

"Curtis told us what happened," Berith said, skidding to a stop next to her colleague Danlin. Her voice was tense and professional, but also clearly unhappy. "The Moglins should be on their way. Now, let me see!"

With the other adults right behind her, Berith hurried the few steps to where Xan was standing. Cysero thought the Professor looked like she could barely refrain from reaching out and hugging Xan in spite of the flames.

"Danlin," she said, glancing over at him, "you haven't been able to do anything for him yet?"

"No," Danlin said seriously. "I don't know _what_ to do. I just hope the Moglins can help!"

"What about _Jaania_?" Xan shouted right in Professor Berith's face.

Berith didn't flinch. She just looked even more unhappy. "I'll try," she said firmly. "All of us will try our best." Then she turned her attention to Warlic.

"I know you're hurting too," she told him with a compassionate look. "Just because you're not in physical pain, that doesn't make it any easier."

"Thanks," Warlic said sadly.

Just then, a group of Moglins appeared and scurried quickly toward the crowd in front of the cafeteria. At the front of the group was a sort of grizzly-looking orange Moglin with gray around his ears and face. He was carrying a short wooden staff, just a little taller than he was, with a few green leaves at the top of it.

"Hi!" he said in friendly concern. "I'm one of the Moglin Elders from the Moglin Healers' Council. It sounds like you've got a serious problem, so I've come with backup. I brought my daughter Milly, my grandson Twilly, and several more of our healers." The Moglin elder gestured at his group, and Cysero saw that 'several' seemed to mean about thirty Moglins of various fur colors. All of them looked very concerned.

"Thank you," Professor Danlin said. He gestured toward Xan. "Please, will you see what you can do for Xarymandias here? He was accidentally set on fire, and now it's been turned into a healing fire. But it's still hurting him! Warlic - he's the one who cast it - says it's a spell his father learned from Moglins to turn any element into a healing element."

The Moglins were already gathered closely around Xan, doing their best to examine him without getting burned too badly. But as Danlin finished speaking, the elder turned around to look at him with a very worried expression.

"Oh, no," the elder said. "This could be very difficult. That spell's really powerful, and if it's what's keeping him alive now... well, I don't know if we can heal him fast enough to keep him from dying if the fire was put out. But we'll try!" His furry little face went very determined, and he turned back around to face Xan with the others.

"Now, Grandpa?" a smaller-than-usual orange Moglin asked. Cysero thought he looked about the same age as the students at the Magic Academy. This had to be the one the elder had called Twilly.

"_Now,_ Twilly!" the elder answered. "And everybody! Moglins, start up your healing!"

All the Moglins held up their tiny, furry hands. Soft white light poured from them, focusing on Xan and surrounding him in its radiance. Right in the middle of it, the fires around him burned as fiercely as ever.

Suddenly Cysero noticed that one of the Moglins wasn't in the group trying to heal Xan. He was a little blue one, wearing a dark gray cape and standing next to the wall at the edge of the room, several feet beyond Xan and the other Moglins.

"Hey!" Cysero said, going around to the side of Xan and the healing Moglins to go and talk to the blue one. "Why aren't you trying to heal him too?"

"Allow me to introduce myself," the blue Moglin said in a grand voice. "I'm Zorbak." He was holding a staff like the elder's, but this one didn't have leaves on it. The top of the staff was actually a _skull!_

"I'm Cysero," the young mage in the green robes replied politely. "But how come you're not over there with the other healers?"

"I'm not a healer," Zorbak said. "I'm a Necromancer. I came along because this sounded interesting." This Moglin's face wasn't cute and cuddly like the others. Instead, Cysero thought, he actually had kind of a scary look. A mean look? Not quite...

Then Cysero had it. _No,_ he realized. _An __ebil__ look!_

"Well, I'm going to get a closer look at this," Zorbak declared. He stalked forward, and Cysero followed. They stopped a couple of paces back from the other Moglins who were still trying to heal Xan.

Finally, the Moglin elder stepped back and shook his head. "It's no use," he said. "It's not making any difference at all. We can't heal him any faster than the fire spell's already healing him."

It was true, Cysero saw. As the sad, disappointed Moglins let their healing spell fade, Xan didn't look any different. He was still on fire, and still furious.

"I'm sorry," the elder said directly to Xan. His furry orange ears were drooping with sadness. "We can't do anything. I wish we could."

"Meh," Zorbak said. "I could cast a water spell on him and then turn him undead, if you like."

"Zorbak!" The Moglin elder was shocked. "That's not the way any Moglin talks to a patient."

"Oh yeah?" Zorbak answered. "It's how _I_ just talked to him. Look, I was trying to help. If you're not interested, I'll just leave." He turned around, walking off with his skull-topped staff in a flurry of tattered cape and ebil Moglin pride. Looking back over his shoulder at Xan, he said, "If you ever decide you'd rather be undead, look me up. Meh he he heh!" Then he swept grandly out of the room.

_That blue dude sure has a funny idea of compassion,_ Cysero thought, shaking his head in amazement. But that was definitely what it seemed to be.

"Get away from me, you horrid little bunnies!" Xan was saying, as the other Moglins clustered around him. As he bent his fire-wreathed head down to glare and yell at them, they scattered a little distance away and looked back at him in hurt confusion. "Why did you even have to think up that stupid healing-element spell in the first place?"

"We can't help it," the elder said, walking over to stare fearlessly up at Xan. "We're healers." He shook his head sadly, long ears still drooping a little. "I wish we could help you. Moglins don't like seeing someone hurt without being able to do anything about it." Indeed, some of the other Moglins were openly crying now. Even the graying orange elder looked like he might be about to dissolve into tears.

* * *

Later that day, Xan, Warlic, and Cysero were in a small office talking with a few of the Academy professors. Danlin and Berith were there, along with Vanessa, who was the principal of Swordhaven Magic Academy. So was Jeremy, the professor who specialized in experimental research with elements. They had asked Cysero to be there because, as Danlin put it, he had a clear sense of what had happened during Xan and Warlic's duel. Besides, he _wanted_ to see what happened with his friends.

"Your prank war got seriously out of hand," Vanessa said to Warlic and Xan. She was a plump, generally good-natured woman, but she was in a very stern mood just then. "And now Jaania, the _one_ out of you three who _doesn't_ deserve to be expelled, won't have a chance to finish her studies here."

"Yes, she will!" Xan insisted fiercely. He was starting to seem more and more rattled as the day went on. Cysero couldn't blame him. "Because you're _going_ to figure out how to help her."

"You will, won't you?" Warlic said, sounding as if he hated the doubt in his own words. "It's not fair if she has to be stuck in there because _we_ were dueling!"

"No, it isn't," Professor Berith said sadly. "But it still might be exactly what happens. We don't know yet if we'll ever be able to get her out of the crystal."

She looked at the kind-of-old, studious-faced man in the chair next to her. "Jeremy?"

"It's a tough problem," Jeremy answered. "The magic of two Faculty Staves is what combined to trap Jaania, and those weapons are powerful enough on their own. With the two spells fusing together like that, the result seems to have been the creation of a very strong, dense crystal. It's almost like diamond. I'm afraid we don't have any spells nearly strong enough to break it - but that's what we're working on. Inventing new spells is something my colleagues and I do all the time. Maybe we can come up with one that will help."

"Wait a minute," Cysero said, remembering what Principal Vanessa had said a few minutes earlier. "You aren't really going to expel Xan and Warlic, are you?"

Vanessa looked at him for a moment, then shook her head. "No," she said. "Xan, Warlic, I'm very angry at both of you for being so reckless. But I'm not going to deny any student the right to learn all we can teach them about magic, no matter what. And, you know, even if you've been irresponsible you're still our students. We still care about you both and we don't want to see you hurt more than you have to be."

"Xan," Warlic said, looking at the young man who had been his friend not so long ago. "I'm really sorry..."

Obviously unimpressed, Xan glared ferociously at him. "Big deal!" he said. "I told you. You'll pay for what you did."

"Hey!" Cysero said. "Don't try anything violent, okay, Xan?" But the flaming Pyromancer didn't answer him.

"You're safe for _now_," Xan said, the flames in his eyes burning red with menace as he stared at Warlic. "We have to see if they can help Jaania. I won't do anything to get in their way."

* * *

Several days later, Principal Vanessa called Warlic, Xan, and Cysero to her office again.

"I'm afraid there's nothing we can do," she said gravely, her round face looking very dismayed. "Jaania may very well be trapped in that crystal forever. We've tried all kinds of spells, and none of them could even shake it."

"Oh no," Warlic said, stricken. "Professor Jeremy - even your research with elements didn't help?"

"Well," Jeremy said, "we do know that wind spells are the most useful against crystal targets. But none of our wind spells has anywhere near enough power. I fear the young lady may really be trapped, as Vanessa said." Berith and Danlin, their faces filled with unhappiness, nodded in reluctant agreement.

"You're ALL idiots!" Xan shouted in obvious denial. "Don't you dare tell me she can't be saved! I'll find a way myself!" Standing up from his chair, he burst out of the room and took off down the hall running.

"Xan, wait-" Warlic began, but Xan was already out of the room before he could speak.

"I'll go see what he's doing!" Cysero said. He ran down the hall and around the corner after Xan, going _really_ fast.

Xan must have been very, very angry, because to Cysero's surprise he wasn't able to catch up. _No one is this fast except me!_ the green-robed student thought. But right now, Xan was. He raced as quickly as a leaping wildfire down the school hallways, and Cysero followed him all the way to the spot outside the cafeteria doors where Jaania still stood in her crystal.

"Don't worry, Jaania," Cysero heard Xan saying in a desperate voice. The Pyromancer had stopped right next to Jaania, with one hand on the crystal beside her shoulder and the other clenched into a tight fist. "I'll save you!"

As Cysero zoomed up next to them, Xan shouted some magical syllables aloud. Cysero had never quite heard such force in a spell cast by anyone but an experienced mage, but Xan's voice held no hesitation.

With a blinding white flash, Xan, Jaania, and the massive crystal all vanished.

"Whoa..." Cysero said, amazed. He wouldn't have expected that a student could teleport something that heavy. But Xan's furious passion seemed to have helped him manage it.

_And now they're gone,_ he thought. _I wonder where they went?_

* * *

"Wow," Serenity said, back to herself again. She was feeling very definitely shaken. "That was awful! So that's why Xan's on fire. Ouch! And poor Jaania! She should get to actually live her life. But you know, my heart really goes out to Warlic. Does he still feel as responsible as he did back then?"

"Definitely," Cysero said.

"Well, I see why you had to show me all that," Serenity told him. "I would never have understood nearly as well if you'd just said 'Come on, here's a quest, let's go!' For one thing, I'm really kind of surprised to see that Xan cared so much! I always thought Xan was just evil!"

Out of nowhere, a sockmonkey scurried up to Serenity and bounced into her lap. It wasn't the same one who had been sitting with her before, but it was just as cute. Distracted by her thoughts, she scratched it gently behind the ears.

"Xan has a good heart, doesn't he?" Serenity said, not quite asking. "A very angry heart, but a good one."

"Yes, he does," Cysero agreed. "All of his hatred came from love, and if he didn't still feel that same love, he wouldn't bother with the hatred anymore either."

Thinking about that, Serenity realized it was very true. "You were right, Cysero. We have to help all three of them."

"We sure do," Cysero said with conviction, "and I have a plan."


	6. The Laundry Room

Chapter 6: The Laundry Room

"Okay," Serenity said. "What do we have to do first?"

"Well, we need to go on a quest. And since quests can be hard for _anybody_, I figured you could use a companion." Cysero beamed at her, seeming unable to quench the general happiness of his nature for very long at a time. "So I've made you a present, Serenity! You ought to like it, since you get along so well with my sockmonkeys."

"A present?" Serenity asked, curious. "What is it?"

"A Fire-Resistant Laundry Golem," Cysero proclaimed proudly. "Actually, it was Xan who taught me the spell to use on the fabric, back when we were in school together."

"Hey, that must be the same spell he cast on the cape his mother gave him!" Serenity said. "I remember that from the illusion spell where you showed me Xan's memories - Wait a minute: a _laundry golem?_ Aren't those wild, uncontrolled monsters that wreak havoc wherever they go?"

"Well, yeah," Cysero agreed. "But they're cute too, if you can handle them. And we'll definitely have to face a lot of Xan's fire monsters pretty soon, so this pet should really be able to help out."

Serenity nodded. "That makes sense. Thanks, Cysero! I never thought I'd have a laundry golem for a pet, but that was a really smart and thoughtful idea. So... when can I meet it?"

"The only thing is," Cysero said sheepishly, "I can't find it."

"You can't... _find_ it?" Serenity echoed. She would have thought that a laundry golem would be anything but hard to find.

"I have a lot of dirty laundry," Cysero explained. "_And_ a lot of laundry golems. I was sure this one was right here in the laundry basket, but when I went over to look a few minutes ago it wasn't there."

He walked over to a spot near one of the tables full of random magical stuff. Leaning over, he picked up a round, white, open plastic basket and tipped it toward Serenity to show her that it was empty - aside from two or three mismatched socks. Serenity reflected that Cysero's half of his and Warlic's tower was probably about the only place in Lore that she'd be likely to see something as anachronistic as plastic.

"I don't know where it could have gotten to," Cysero declared in confusion, setting down the basket and looking around. "Unless... Serenity, I'm afraid your pet may have somehow ended up in the laundry room."

Serenity's alarmed imagination conjured up the image of a room full of laundry golems, jumping all over the place and throwing things back and forth through the air, making a terrible mess. "That sounds dangerous!" she said, staring at Cysero with round eyes.

"Oh, it's not so bad!" he answered. "It can actually be kind of fun, with all the laundry golems throwing things around everywhere. But it does get hectic. And it's definitely very hard to find anything in there. Especially when I haven't had time to go in and straighten things up in a while - Like now."

"So... we have to go into a room full of wild laundry golems and look for the pet you made me?" Serenity said in her best attempt at a calm recap.

Cysero shook his head. "Not quite," he said.

"Huh?" Serenity asked.

"I can't help you," Cysero said apologetically. "If I go in there, it'll rile up the other laundry golems so much that we might never find yours. No, you'll have to go alone."

Serenity paused for a moment. "Okay," she said. "I won't let Xan and Warlic and Jaania down. But, Cysero, what do I do if the laundry golems get too rowdy? Are there any tricks to dealing with them?"

"You'll just have to fight them." Cysero shrugged. "But it's okay. Don't worry, you can't hurt them."

At Serenity's somewhat nervous nod of agreement, Cysero gave her a thumbs-up. "It's the second door you pass on the way down the tower. Good luck, Serenity!"

* * *

As she cautiously opened the door to the laundry room, Serenity was greeted by the sight of several dozen squealing, boisterous laundry golems, creating total havoc. Socks, miscellaneous lids, left-handed veebul-fletchers, and a chaotic assortment of other items were all flying in every direction around the square room. It was all just the way Serenity had imagined it, and she relaxed at the familiar sight.

_Wait a minute,_ Serenity thought. _That's not relaxing!_ But she wouldn't back out now. Clutching the plain wooden staff Cysero had given her, she edged carefully through the doorway and shut the door behind her.

Almost immediately, a laundry golem popped up in front of her face. It was a big, shapeless mass of blue fabric like most of them seemed to be, although Serenity could see a few laundry golems in other designs and colors running around here and there.

_Focus,_ Serenity reminded herself, tearing her mind away from the dizzying sights that filled the rest of the room. _It's just like I was thinking when I imagined I was Warlic. A mage has got to focus. And I'm a mage now!_ She looked at the creature in front of her. It had a single, really big brown button for an eye, staring at her from right in the middle of its floppy blue face.

Standing there in her brown mage robes, Serenity summoned the confidence that came from knowing that she was learning to control the power of magic. "Get out of my way," she told the golem sternly. But it didn't move.

Serenity hadn't really expected anything different. "All right, then!" she said, surprising herself at how fierce she sounded. She lifted her free hand and threw a magical attack right at the laundry golem.

It staggered for a second, then regained its balance. Raising its arms - sleeves? - it took a step forward and bashed Serenity right in the nose. It didn't really hurt, but Serenity still felt a bit dizzy. A second later, though, she pitched another ball of magic at her opponent.

This time, the laundry golem went down. It flopped right onto the floor, folding up into a somewhat haphazard pile. Looking up at her, it gave an offended little squeal and then rebelliously propped its face on a fold or two of its thick blue fabric. It looked for all the world like a defiant teenager with his chin on his folded arms. Obviously, it was planning to sulk for a while before getting back up and rejoining the laundry-room partying.

Serenity stepped past it, then navigated her way very carefully through the weaving crowd of other laundry golems. It turned out that if she didn't actually brush against them, they would mostly leave her alone. _But how will I ever find the one Cysero meant for me in this wild heap?_ she wondered.

Maybe it was one of the multicolored ones. That would at least give her some way to tell it apart from most of them... No, every one of those seemed far too wild to be a pet. In fact, ALL of the laundry golems seemed that way.

Then, as she made her way past another tangle of the magically animated creatures, Serenity caught sight of a couple of pieces of mysterious equipment standing against the far back wall. They were large, white, and roughly cube-shaped. Both were about half Serenity's height. The one on the right had a square door in front, hanging open, that led into a round silver chamber. The contraption on the left had a similar square hatch standing up from the top.

_These must be a washer and dryer,_ Serenity realized. She had heard of the near-mythical devices, but had never actually seen any. She understood that they were actually used by some people to wash and dry their laundry - which was what they were named for, of course.

Struck by a sudden thought, Serenity walked forward, dodging her way around several more laundry golems and ducking to avoid a particularly dense cluster of flying, thrown objects. She stepped right up to the washer and looked down through the trapdoor-like hatch.

Inside was a small round tub, seeming to take up only about a third of the room that there ought to be inside the big white box. A blunt, round post stood up in the middle of the tub like a pillar. And, as Serenity had half-suspected, there was a soft little heap of fabric pressed into the floor of the open space, hiding partway behind the pillar.

It was definitely a laundry golem, quite a bit smaller than the others and also apparently nowhere near as rambunctious. That was what had gotten Serenity to thinking: if you were a reasonably well-behaved laundry golem who had accidentally gotten into _this_ madhouse of a room, what better to do than hide?

The laundry golem squeaked and chittered, with a noise like buttons clicking together. _No one ever comes in here,_ it seemed to be saying. _I knew I'd be safe if I hid in the __washer__!_

"Aww, you're adorable!" Serenity reached into the washer, moving slowly so she wouldn't scare the little laundry golem. She stopped with her hand still a foot or so away from it, letting the magical pet have a chance to decide what it thought of her.

It stood partway up, unfolding into what seemed to be a soft, knit winter shirt with a white winter hat for a face and head. The main part of its body, the shirt part, was a warm blue-gray color, with matching buttons all the way down the front. On its face were two round black button eyes, about the same size as a normal person's eyes would be. A cute, friendly smile had been drawn on between the eyes and the shirt's collar, with what must have been a magic marker.

Serenity held her breath, making no movements at all, as the laundry golem carefully looked her over. After a moment, it put out a sleeve and shyly touched her hand. It pulled back for an instant, but when she didn't grab it or anything, it reached forward again and grabbed onto her hand with the end of its sleeve.

Overcome by the cuteness, Serenity picked up the golem and hugged it as it squeaked contentedly. It was warm and solid, but very squashable. Serenity guessed it must be stuffed with all kinds of warm winter scarves and things.

_This must be the right one, right?_ she thought. As she was trying to figure out how she would be able to tell for sure, she noticed a little cloth tag sticking up from the back of the half-sized laundry golem's collar. She craned her head around to read it, trying to keep her new friend from squirming so much that she couldn't. Finally, she made out the tiny, stitched block-print letters:

Fire-Resistant Laundry Golem  
Hiya Serenity, this is your new pet! I hope you like it! Xan's fireproofing spell is pretty awesome, so this little guy should be safe in just about any fiery environment. Plus it's stylish and very friendly!

Serenity laughed quietly, smiling at the words that were so exuberant even in writing. _That's Cysero, all right!_ she thought. Patting the Fire-Resistant Laundry Golem on the head, she told it aloud, "Let's get going. This place is a little too hectic for both of us, I think!" The golem, looking around at all the chaos with its round button eyes, showed every sign of being very much inclined to agree.

As she turned to go, Serenity saw another laundry golem standing in her path. This one was a lot bigger than the others, and it looked really wild. Its two huge black button eyes glared ferociously at her, and it made a loud, ominous crinkling sound.

"Oh, boy!" Serenity whispered. "Is this what they call a boss monster?" It sure looked ready to boss the other laundry golems around. She tried to edge past it, but it whirled around and smacked her with both of its long fabric arms. Startled, the young Innkeeper went flying all the way across the laundry room, straight towards the door she had come in through.

Serenity hit the door, knocking it open. She tumbled out of the laundry room in a rolling heap, with the little fire-resistant golem held protectively in her arms. A second or two later, she rolled to a sudden stop against the legs of someone wearing sky-blue robes.

Looking up, Serenity saw a cloudy blue-green orb tucked under an arm, then a face with lavender eyes and soft, puffy white hair. Sure enough, it was Warlic.

"Serenity?" the Blue Mage asked in surprise. "Are you all right? What were you doing in Cysero's laundry room? That place is dangerous."

"I... know," Serenity answered, picking herself up. "I just found out." She felt her face going pink with embarrassment at having been upside down in a heap on the floor in front of the sensible, dignified Warlic. But then she shook it off. He didn't seem the least bit superior or condescending. In fact, Serenity was sure it hadn't even occured to him to feel that way. Instead, he just looked concerned for her.

"It's okay, Warlic," she said. "I may have gotten tossed around, but I didn't get hurt. But... hey, I just realized something. Isn't that _your_ laundry room too, not just Cysero's?"

"Technically, it is," Warlic agreed. "But I send my laundry out for dry cleaning. I hardly dare go in there."

The laundry golem in Serenity's arms squeaked, waving its little fabric arms around in an adorable way. She smiled and gave it a rub behind the collar. It snuggled down, settling comfortably into her arms and rustling to itself.

"What is that?" Warlic asked in amazement. He looked closely at the creature. "Is that... a TAME... _laundry golem?_"

"I guess so," Serenity said. "Cysero made it for me as a present. Isn't it cute? He said it'll help me on the quest he and I are about to go on."

Warlic looked at the golem skeptically, but then he smiled. "You're right, it is cute. And it definitely seems to like you. But then, I've noticed that most living things do. I guess they can tell you're a nice person. So, what kind of quest are you and Cysero going on?"

Serenity froze at Warlic's randomly curious question. _I can't tell him!_ she thought. _It wouldn't be fair to get his hopes up if we can't do anything for Xan or Jaania after all._ The thought of failing almost made Serenity start crying then and there, but she made herself focus. _What can I say to him?_

In the next second she answered herself. _As much as I can of the truth, that's what._

"I can't tell you," she said honestly but mysteriously.

"Oh?" Warlic gave her a serious look. "Just try and be careful, Serenity. Cysero's quests have a tendency to involve explosions and rearranged timelines and stuff like that."

"Thanks, Warlic," Serenity answered with a smile. "I'll be careful."


	7. Minx Forest

Author's Note: Artix Entertainment has changed some spells and things in the DragonFable game lately, but I'm still going for the way they were when I started writing this fanfic.

The name "Minda" isn't my invention. I first saw it as a typo of the canon Legend of Zelda character name "Midna" in the beginning credits of a Youtube video series: "Twilight Princess: The Abridged Series" by Xanauzumaki. After I picked the name for an OC in this chapter, I realized where I'd gotten it from so I'm giving credit where credit is due.

* * *

Chapter 7: Minx Forest

"You found it!" Cysero exclaimed as Serenity hurried back into the high tower room with her new pet laundry golem.

"I sure did," Serenity agreed, smiling. "It's awesome! Thank you, Cysero!"

The Fire-Resistant Laundry Golem wiggled, lifting up its white knit head to look out from behind Serenity's arms. It had been letting her carry it since she found it hiding in the washer a few minutes ago, but now it scrambled loose and jumped down to stand proudly next to her. It gave Cysero a friendly wave with one blue-gray sleeve. Apparently, it recognized the mage who had made it. The smile drawn on its face looked even brighter and happier than usual.

"Hey, little guy," Cysero said, waving back with a big grin. "I'm happy to see you too. Now you watch out for Serenity, okay?"

Looking down at her pet, Serenity saw it give Cysero a firm nod. Its button eyes looked capable and determined.

"Thanks," Serenity told it, and was rewarded with an adoring look. She patted the laundry golem on the shoulder and it rustled happily.

Then she turned back to Cysero. "You know," she said, "I think it's a good thing I had to go and search the laundry room for this guy. I feel like I've learned enough to make a level!"

"You're right!" Cysero said. "You've reached Level 2. And that means you're ready to start learning even more about magic."

He looked hard at her. "Now I am going to teach you something very important, Serenity. This is the one spell that you must never forget, no matter what happens. _Especially_ if something terrible happens! This spell could save your life."

"What spell is that?" Serenity asked.

"It's the Arcane Shield," Cysero told her. "You've seen it, right?"

"Yes," Serenity said. "I've seen lots of Adventurers use it, and I saw Professor Danlin using it during your Swordhaven Magic Academy illusions. But how do I cast it?"

"Well, you have to say 'Arcane Shield' and you have to concentrate on getting it to work," Cysero explained. "Imagine a glowing blue shell of power, protecting you from anything dangerous that might be around. It's like the shield on a spaceship."

"Huh?" Serenity asked blankly. "I was following you, but what's a spaceship?"

"Eh, I'm not sure!" Cysero answered. "I have no idea what that is. Never mind. Why don't you try the spell?"

Serenity nodded. She closed her eyes for a second, picturing the shield the way she'd seen it used by other mages, then opened her eyes again.

"Arcane Shield!" she said determinedly.

A blue light glowed all around her. Everything looked soft and nonthreatening through it, as if there was very little chance that even a monster could hurt her if one were to appear and try right now. _It worked!_ she thought, and gave Cysero a "V" for victory sign.

In a moment, the spell faded. Serenity felt stronger than ever, ready to take on the world.

"Okay," she said. "It's time to get going on our quest, isn't it?"

"It sure is," Cysero said. He went over to the nearest window, opened it, and jumped out. "Don't worry, I'll levitate you too!" he said from where he was standing in the air just outside, before Serenity even had time to be alarmed. "C'mon, let's go!"

Serenity gulped. But she stepped forward without hesitation, the laundry golem padding softly along by her side. Amazed at her own boldness but completely trusting Cysero, she took her pet by the end of the sleeve and hopped right out alongside it over the sill.

Cysero made a quick movement with his left hand, winking dramatically, and Serenity found herself and her pet landing on a soft but sturdy surface, like a cushion. They were all still standing at the same level as the room they'd just left, several times the height of the big forest trees nearby.

"Cool, isn't it?" Cysero asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"It sure is," Serenity said quietly, feeling awestruck as she looked around. The power of a truly experienced mage was amazing!

Suddenly she realized that they were already floating gently down towards the ground. Then she also realized that she had no idea where they were going.

"Um, Cysero? Where are we going?" she asked.

"To see a very powerful ruler," Cysero replied. "She doesn't talk to human people like us much, but we're going to find her and we're going to ask for her help in healing Xan."

Serenity thought about that for a moment. By now they were about two-thirds of the way down from the height where they'd started, and several buildings closer to the northeast edge of town.

"So, is she a Moglin?" the younger mage asked her teacher. "But I thought the Moglins already tried to heal Xan and they couldn't."

"Nope, she's not a Moglin," Cysero said. "And you're right, they couldn't. Besides, asking them for help wouldn't take a quest."

Cysero looked out over the trees they were now rapidly floating toward. "Moglins are friends with pretty much everybody, but there are other people with powerful healing magic who aren't so popular. I have a feeling _they_ might be the ones who can really help Xan."

Serenity looked at Cysero, curious. "Who?"

"The Minx Fairies." Cysero's voice was as serious as she'd heard from him yet, and his eyes were just the same way.

At that moment, Serenity and her two companions landed solidly on the ground. She thought it was a good thing they had, because otherwise she might have fallen out of the sky even with Cysero's levitation spell.

"What?" As it was, her surprise made it difficult to keep her footing even on the packed dirt path at the outskirts of Falconreach. "But Adventurers are always saying how annoying and nasty Minx Fairies are!"

"That's _because_ of their healing magic," Cysero explained. "See, the Minx Fairies have the ability to fully heal themselves in one turn, even if they're almost out of health. A lot of Adventurers find that aggravating."

Serenity nodded. "Now that you mention it, I do remember some of my guests at the Inn saying things like that."

As they spoke, Cysero started walking along the dirt path, followed by Serenity and her laundry golem. After a minute or two, Serenity noticed with a start that they were actually outside of Falconreach.

"Oh, my!" she said in surprise, looking around her with very round eyes. "Somehow this feels even more alarming than stepping out the tower window."

"I know, I felt the same way when I first left _my_ hometown!" Cysero said with an understanding look. "It's a little scary, but it's exciting, isn't it?"

Serenity looked at the beautiful landscape that stretched out in every direction, and suddenly she did feel that excitement. "Now that I'm an Adventurer, I think I'll visit a lot of the faraway places I've only heard of! There are people who would take care of my Inn for me if I went on a long journey - Grams, for one. She and Aria have always been good friends of mine." She paused, looking at Cysero. "But of course, the most important thing right now is to find some help for Xan."

"Of course," Cysero agreed. "And look, Serenity! We're already at the outskirts of Minx Forest." He gestured at a wide, graceful archway formed by two beautiful oak trees. They were tall and strong, with thick brown trunks and bushy dark-green tops. Their branches met above the middle of the archway.

The road that Cysero, Serenity, and the golem were following led right through that dramatic gateway and into a dense forest. It looked like bright sun still lit most of the path, though, because the treetops grew over the top of it in only a few places.

"Well, I'd better get out my staff!" Cysero commented as they walked through the archway and into the forest. "We could be meeting monsters anywhere around here now." He twisted around and reached back over his shoulder without bothering to stop walking. After fishing around in his backpack for a second or two, he pulled out a tall, heavy wooden staff. It was twisted in all sorts of interesting shapes, with deep, swirling wood-grain patterns all over it.

"That's an awesome staff!" Serenity said. Then she caught up with the rest of Cysero's comment. "Monsters? And just when I'd fooled myself into thinking this was going to be easy and peaceful." She had been carrying her own staff like a walking stick. Now she found herself holding it more tightly, sharply reminded that it was first and foremost a weapon.

As if on cue, a giant pale gray-green boveox came charging out from beneath the cover of the trees on their right. It trampled right over the top of Serenity, bowling her over and stomping across her and all the way to the other side of the path before circling around to go back and stand right where it had first appeared. It let out a loud territorial bellow, and its dark animal eyes stared challengingly at the party.

Serenity struggled back to her feet. Clutching her staff, she threw a white blast of magic at the wild cow-creature with her other hand. The beast didn't look very impressed, barely reacting to the attack at all.

There was a furious chattering and button-clacking sound from the laundry golem next to Serenity. Marching forward, it raised its right sleeve and indignantly whacked the boveox right across the nose.

Then Cysero attacked. Lifting his staff up into the air and pointing it straight at the sky, he called out a loud jumble of random-sounding magical words. His free arm was held out straight in front of him with his palm out toward the boveox.

A bush-sized clump of tangled green leaves and weeds and plants and stuff appeared in front of Cysero's hand and rocketed right at the monster. Knocked back a few paces by the sheer force of the spell, the boveox blinked once in astonishment and then collapsed, knocked out cold.

"Nature magic!" Serenity exclaimed, surprised. "Is that what you usually cast, Cysero? I would've expected something like explosions!"

"Well, sure I'm a nature mage!" Cysero said with an adorable grin. "Why do you _think_ I like wearing green? Of course, it's fun to wield all kinds of elements, but nature's my favorite. It does all kinds of zany things, you know!"

Enthusiastically, Cysero held out his staff to Serenity. "Here, take a look! It's a really cool weapon. A good friend from my hometown made it for me."

Impressed, Serenity took the staff in her free hand to examine it. There was a warm, living feeling thrumming through the wood, as if the power of nature itself was caught up in this staff. Near the top, a short description was stamped right into the wood in bold letters.

Oak Staff  
Cysero's weapon. It casts powerful nature magic. What did you expect from a nifty gnarled wooden staff like this - balloons?

Serenity laughed. Then she swayed on her feet and suddenly lost her balance. Only her grip on the two staves kept her from falling to the ground.

Cysero instantly leaped forward to catch her, steadying her with his two strong hands under her arms. At the same time, she could feel her little laundry golem pressing against her knees with both its sleeves to help hold her up.

"Hey, Serenity, are you hurt?" Cysero asked, concern written all over his kind face.

"I think so..." Serenity said, feeling decidedly weak. She was starting to notice a lot of painful bumps and bruises all over her body. "I must have gotten more bashed up than I thought when that boveox ran over the top of me. But don't worry, it's not that bad! I've seen Adventurers in much worse shape when they get to my Inn, lots of times. I just need a good rest. Or maybe one of Reens' healing potions."

"Potions!" Cysero smacked himself in the forehead with his right palm, then realized he was supposed to be holding up Serenity and reached back out to steady her again. "I totally forgot. Any Adventurer ought to start out with two healing potions and two mana potions. Sorry about that, Serenity! We'll have to find a healing spot. There ought to be one around here somewhere. Just look for the sparkles."

Serenity stared at him in confusion. "Sparkles?"

"Yeah, there are always sparkles around any kind of a healing location," he said. "You'll see when we get to one. D'you think you can walk by yourself?"

"Yes, thank you," Serenity answered politely. "I'm feeling better now. I was just caught by surprise when I didn't realize I'd been hurt."

Cysero nodded. He let go of Serenity and stepped back, watching carefully to make sure she was steady on her feet. Meanwhile, the Fire-Resistant Laundry Golem was now leaning its whole body gently against the front of her legs. It was obviously planning to catch her if she fell.

"Hey, you're taking the job of looking after me pretty seriously, aren't you?" Serenity asked, looking down at it with a smile. A single, determined chirp was the little pet's answer.

Feeling stronger now, Serenity shifted her balance to put her weight on just her feet and her own staff, and handed Cysero's staff back to him.

"Thanks," he said.

The laundry golem finally seemed to decide that Serenity could do all right on her own. It un-squished itself from her legs and went back to stand in its usual place right next to her.

Side by side, the three travelers walked farther along the path. After only a little while, Serenity caught sight of a pretty sparkling effect among the bushes and low branches on the left side of the path. "Cysero, look!" She pointed at the area where the lovely glitter-lights were hanging in the air.

"Yup, that's it!" Cysero confirmed. "There's got to be a healing zone of some sort right through there. Let's go!"

He made a sharp left turn, aiming for the sparkles. As he reached the bushes and started to push his way through them, they simply vanished. Unconcerned and seemingly unsurprised, Cysero kept right on walking.

Serenity stared in amazement for a second, then hurried after him, accompanied by her pet. A few steps brought them to a small and beautiful open glade, with a sparkling fountain of blue water standing in the middle of it. _Literally_ sparkling: the lights in the air were brightest and clustered the thickest right around it.

"Beautiful," Serenity breathed. She didn't need to ask if this fountain was the magical healing spot. It was obvious. Taking a few steps forward, she dropped to her knees in front of it. She laid her mage's staff on the ground next to her, then cupped her hands and scooped up some of the crystalline water. Closing her eyes, she took a drink.

Immediately the fountain's healing power flooded through Serenity. She took a deep, slow breath with her eyes still closed, savoring the wonderful relaxing feeling.

Suddenly, the healing of her own pain made Serenity think of Xan. _He must be in so much pain right now!_ she thought. _He's still trapped in that fire-spell. What am I doing here wasting time?_

She jumped to her feet, barely remembering to grab her staff from the ground on the way. "Come on, Cysero!" she exclaimed to her slightly startled companion. "We have to hurry!"

"Hurry where, intruders?" a new and decidedly hostile high-pitched voice demanded.

"What?" Serenity looked around in confusion. At first she didn't see anyone but Cysero and the laundry golem, but then she spun all the way around and her eyes lit on two small, hovering figures in the air, framed between the trees and blocking the route back to the main path.

Serenity couldn't help but realize that they must be Minx Fairies. Each of the tiny, flying beings was a little over a foot tall. They were almost identical to each other: beautiful, elvish-looking young ladies, with black hair, bare feet, and lovely but very practical purple dresses. And wings, of course. Behind each of the fairies was a rapidly fluttering pair of translucent purple monarch-butterfly wings.

"You heard her!" one of the fairies said angrily, gesturing with a delicate hand at her companion. "Where are you going, and why are you here at all? We don't appreciate your kind bothering us in our forest!"

"We're here on a quest -" Serenity started, but she didn't get any farther. The Minx Fairies _really_ did not seem to like that answer.

"I thought as much!" the fairy who must have spoken first shouted. Her voice was surprisingly loud. "Probably looking for treasure or rare weapons or something," she added scathingly. "Come on, Minda, let's get 'em!"

"Right beside you, Sara!" the other Minx Fairy replied. She zoomed forward, making a beeline for Serenity, and stopped just inches in front of her. Raising both hands to shoulder height, Minda made a swift pushing gesture in the air. An intricate pink oval appeared in front of the attacking fairy, and a bright light slammed into Serenity.

"Ouch!" Serenity flinched, then readied her staff. But before she could move, the Minx Fairy called Sara dived at Cysero. She flew right past his face, flinging a light spell of her own at him as she went by. He winced, but didn't seem to have been hurt much by the attack.

Serenity tilted her staff and prepared to strike back at the fairies, but Cysero's commanding voice stopped her.

"No, Serenity! Wait, let me handle this."

"Okay," she said. She lowered her hand, passing up her opportunity to attack. Her laundry golem rustled angrily at the fairies, but she gestured at it to hold its place, and it obeyed.

Serenity expected Cysero to knock the fairies out of the way with another powerful nature spell, but he surprised her by bowing to them instead.

"We are not here for rare weapons or treasure," he said. "And we don't want to fight. We're looking for Queen Mynxitta. See, we're hoping she can help a friend of ours who's in really major trouble."

As the Minx Fairies glared challengingly at him, Cysero stared right back. "But if you don't stop hurting Serenity," he warned them, "I _will_ have to fight you." His fierce expression suddenly made Serenity very clearly aware of the fact that, no matter how fun and eccentric Cysero was, he was also a very powerful mage.

Sara and Minda looked at each other. They seemed very skeptical, but also honestly concerned about what they should do. Serenity realized in guilty surprise that she had sidetracked herself into treating them as enemies, when they were the very people she and Cysero wanted to ask for help.

"Please," Serenity said, "don't be angry. We just want to talk to your Queen. Will you take us to her?"

"Very well," Sara finally answered. "You seem to be decent enough people, for Adventurers. We will take you before the Fairy Queen."

* * *

The entrance to Queen Mynxitta's open-air palace was even more impressive than the archway leading into the forest itself. Glittering deep pink flowers hung from the branches of two long rows of graceful trees with pale gray bark. The walkway between them was paved with jagged pieces of loose gravel in many brilliant colors.

Cysero, Serenity, and the laundry golem walked along this path, led by Sara and Minda. The two Minx Fairies, it turned out, were two of the Queen's royal guards. They had gotten a little friendlier on the walk here, but still seemed very suspicious of Cysero's and Serenity's motives.

_I hope the Queen will at least believe us,_ Serenity thought worriedly.

Just as she was thinking it, the group reached the end of the hallway and entered a large, round clearing. There were no walls in this palace, just trees defining the edges of the various areas. But this, Serenity thought, was definitely the throne room. A circle of smaller green-leaved trees, spaced widely apart like decorative pillars, grew a little way inside the boundary made by the larger forest trees around the edge of the room. And there was a throne, small and very elegant, floating in the air just at the center of the clearing.

"Sara. Minda," the fairy seated on the throne said in greeting. "Who are these people?"

She could only be the Fairy Queen Mynxitta. She looked and sounded very much like her subjects, but her face was commanding and her voice was deeply assured and confident. Her silky purple dress was stitched with curving black lines and bright white spots, to reflect the patterns of her fluttering wings. In her black hair was a tiara of pink flowers and purple amethyst jewels.

"My Queen, we found them at the healing fountain just inside the southwest edge of our woods," Minda reported. "This girl said they're on a quest, but they claim they're not trying to rip us off for treasure. Something about wanting you to help someone." Minda folded her arms and glared at the Adventurers, wings buzzing, as if she still wasn't quite sure whether to believe them.

"Indeed," Queen Mynxitta said. She looked at the three companions curiously. "Well, why should I help you? Adventurers like you are always shaking my fairies down for loose change, or bashing past them to get to some rare magical plant or something. We're tired of dealing with it. Why shouldn't I just kick you out of my forest right now?"

"Please, Your Majesty," Serenity said urgently, "Cysero and I haven't done any of those things. We don't want any money or weapons or anything. Please just listen to us!"

Immediately the Queen's whole stern attitude changed. She turned a bright, welcoming smile on Serenity's friend and teacher. "Cysero! I remember you now. I thought you looked familiar. You're the one who let that frog loose in my forest not long ago. But you look older already! You humans certainly do grow up fast."

Cysero grinned at Queen Mynxitta and waved a greeting to her. "Right, Your Majesty! That was back when I was in school. That frog was my spellbook, you know. You see, Professor Berith had asked us all to show off some powerful kind of magic -"

"I know, you told me the story before," Mynxitta interrupted him. "You demonstrated transformation, and your spellbook turned into that frog and hopped out the window."

She waved a hand at Minda and Sara. "Relax, it's okay. Cysero isn't crazy like all the other Adventurers. He was very respectful when he came here looking for his frog - er, spellbook. He won't give us a hard time, and I doubt his companion will either."

The Fairy Queen turned her attention to Serenity, who was feeling surprised but very relieved by this turn of events. "What is your name, young Mage?" the Queen asked.

"I'm Serenity, Your Majesty. I run the Inn at the town of Falconreach." Serenity gave the Queen a respectful curtsy.

"I'm very pleased to meet you, Serenity," the Queen of the Minx Fairies replied graciously. "I am Queen Mynxitta. Now, who is it that you and Cysero need my help for?"

"It's Xan." Serenity suddenly found herself at a total loss for how to continue. The knowledge that most people didn't want to help Xan at all hit her like a slap in the face.

"Xan?" Mynxitta asked, looking over at Serenity's companion. "Wasn't he one of your classmates, Cysero? But is that the same Xan who's been burning things down all over Lore recently?"

"Yes, he is," Cysero said earnestly. "But listen, Queen Mynxitta, he's not just a bad guy!"

"You see," Serenity put in, as the Queen stared intently at them, "it all started back at that magic school when Xan was a teenager... when he and Warlic both fell in love with the same girl..."

Between them, taking turns, Cysero and Serenity told Queen Mynxitta the whole story of Xan, Warlic, and Jaania's past and their current predicament.

"And now," Serenity finished, "Xan's been caught in that healing fire for years, hurting all this time and hurting for Jaania too. Jaania's still trapped, and Warlic feels terribly guilty for both of them."

Serenity's voice caught, and she realized for the first time that she was crying. "I can't imagine what you could do for Jaania. But please, Your Majesty - the Moglins couldn't help Xan, because it's their spell that's affecting him in the first place. With all the incredible healing powers you and your Minx Fairies have, is there anything at all that you can do for him?"

Queen Mynxitta was silent for a moment, looking down at her tiny folded hands. Then she looked up, and Serenity saw a tear roll down from one eye to stand, sparkling, on her elegant face.

"You're right, there's nothing I can do for Jaania," the Queen said softly. "But here - take this."

She reached up with one delicate forefinger, touched it to the tear on her face, and brought her hand away with the shining droplet balanced on her fingertip. Closing her eyes, she rose from her throne to hover in midair and raised both her hands high above her head. A tall, pink pillar of light appeared all around her, and there was a soft but forceful humming sound.

When Mynxitta lowered her hands, the tear was glowing with a gentle blue light. It looked solid now, even though it was still transparent.

The Queen smiled quietly, flew forward, and handed the magical tear to an astonished Serenity. As the young Innkeeper took the jewel, it quickly grew to about the size of a large apple. It felt softer than an ordinary jewel, more like a very smooth ball of yarn, but it was still heavy for its size.

"Hold it up to the light," Queen Mynxitta said.

Serenity did so, and she and Cysero looked in wonder at the jewel. The sunlight reflected beautifully from it, but there was nothing more unusual to be seen for a moment. Then some gracefully scripted words shimmered into focus inside the tear-gem. It looked as if they were written in lines of light.

Healing Heart  
A single tear of the Fairy Queen Mynxitta, she has enchanted this to contain the love and compassion that your story moved her to feel. Take it to Xan... quickly!

"This is the strongest magic I can give you," Queen Mynxitta said. "If this doesn't help Xan, then I don't know of anything in Lore that could. But I think it will. If you can get this to him, Xan should be fine."

"Thank you," Serenity said, overwhelmed, as she carefully tucked the Healing Heart into her backpack. "This is a very precious gift." Filled with gratitude, she looked into the Queen's bright eyes. "I'll tell the Adventurers who come to my Inn to be more understanding of your people."

"I have no doubt they'll listen," the Fairy Queen said with a smile. "You are a very eloquent young lady."

"We must go," Cysero said. "Xan still needs our help."

"Good luck..." Mynxitta called softly after them, as Cysero, Serenity, and her pet laundry golem hurried away.


	8. Quest Through Fire

Chapter 8: Quest Through Fire

"Jaania. I promise. I will free you one day." Xan pressed his hands against the front of Jaania's crystal prison, just as he had the day she was first trapped in it years ago. Only inches away from his own and so far out of reach, Jaania's hands were still raised in that same trapped gesture of alarm.

Xan stared at her face for a moment, wildly frustrated. Then he turned on his heel, fire swirling around him, and walked purposefully away from Jaania and toward his throne room. That was where he would spend the day, overseeing the management of his fortress - and most importantly, continuing his research on how to free Jaania from the crystal.

_If I don't have to deal with any interruptions from Warlic today, that is. Or any annoying Adventurers._

* * *

"Is it true that Xan's crazy now?" Serenity asked. She and Cysero, and of course her faithful pet laundry golem, were just passing Grams and Aria's shop on the way back into Falconreach. "I mean, Queen Mynxitta gave us the Healing Heart to save him from the fire spell, but if he's also gone crazy, then will he really be okay?"

Around them, the town of Falconreach continued with its usual quietly busy life. A few townspeople and Adventurers passed, going in various directions, but they were busy on their own quests and didn't really seem to notice Cysero and Serenity.

"Have you ever been badly injured and in a lot of pain?" Cysero asked kindly. "You couldn't think very clearly, could you? I once had a convection oven fall on my head. I couldn't speak in anything but quadratic equations until Twilly healed me." Cysero laughed, caught up in his memory. "It's a wonder he knew I needed healing at all... of course, the huge bump on my head was probably a clue..." He paused. "Now, where was I? Ah, yes," he said, his eyes going laser-sharp again under his thick brown bangs. "Xan is feeling that same way now. He's been in terrible pain for years, ever since that accident at the Academy when he and Warlic and I were young. No wonder he's insane."

"No wonder, indeed!" Serenity could only try to imagine what that might be like. "So, do you think he'll be all right if he's healed from the fire?"

"I don't know," Cysero said quietly - which was unusual for him. "But I sure hope so."

Then he pointed just ahead of them. "Hey look, it's Reens' shop!" he said in his normal voice. "Let's get your potions, Serenity."

"Right," she agreed, following him into the shop. On the way back from Minx Forest, the two mages had agreed that this would need to be their first stop.

"Hi, Cysero!" Reens said brightly as they entered the store. "And Serenity! Why, I think this is the first time I've seen you here." The blue-haired young alchemist in her elaborate beige-and-purple outfit smiled warmly, then did a double take. "And in mage's robes? Wow, Serenity, I didn't know you were an Adventurer!"

"I wasn't, before-" Serenity broke off. She had been about to say 'last week,' but she realized with an astonished start that it had only been earlier this same morning that she'd first gotten Cysero's invitation to his tower and started this quest. "Before this morning," she finished.

"Well, congratulations!" Reens said enthusiastically. "So now you need some potions, right?" She pulled four bottles off a shelf and basically stuffed them into Serenity's hands. Two of the clear, elegant glass containers were filled with bright red healing potions, and the other two held mysterious-looking blue liquid that swirled slowly behind the glass. Those two had to be the mana potions.

"Yeah, she almost got wiped out by a wild boveox in the forest earlier because she didn't have any healing potions," Cysero put in. "I forgot she needed them!"

"Oops," Reens said.

"It's okay, Cysero," Serenity said, stowing the potions away in her backpack. "And thanks, Reens - I do need potions. Cysero and I are going on a dangerous quest to Xan's fortress and I have to be able to get through! We need to make it all the way to Xan so we can heal him."

"What's this about healing Xan?" The urgent voice belonged to Warlic. Turning, Serenity saw him hurrying in through the door of Reens' shop. He was holding what looked like a shopping list in his right hand, but as he crossed the small room toward Cysero and Serenity, the paper disappeared with a small popping sound.

Serenity realized the cat was out of the bag. "Remember the quest I told you Cysero and I are going on? This is it. Or at least part of it. We want to help Jaania too, but right now we're on our way to Xan's fortress to try and get this magic artifact to him -" She looked apologetically at Warlic. "I didn't want you to know until we found out if it'll work! You've already been hurt too much by all this without us getting your hopes up for nothing."

"Don't be ridiculous! If there's any chance, I have to help!" Warlic paused for an instant after his exclamation. "I'm sorry, Serenity. I truly appreciate you trying to shield me. But I'm glad I know now, because I want to do everything I can to make sure this works."

He paused again, obviously thinking fast. "Cysero, you and Serenity have actually come up with a way that might really heal Xan? What are you planning? Serenity mentioned an artifact..."

"She's got it in her backpack," Cysero answered his roommate. "We got it just a little while ago. It was kind of a surprise, you know, since we didn't really know what to expect..."

By this time Serenity had gotten out the Healing Heart. She handed it to Warlic, who stared in amazed interest at the big blue jewel.

"What is it?" the Blue Mage asked.

"It's a fairy's tear," Serenity told him. "Queen Mynxitta of the Minx Fairies gave it to us after we told her you and Xan and Jaania's story. She cried for all of you... especially Xan and all the terrible pain he's in. This magic came from that."

Meanwhile, Reens had been standing quietly beside them, listening with intense interest and concern to all of this. Now she spoke. "May I?" She reached out a hand toward the jewel.

"Certainly," Warlic said quickly, handing it to her. "You are an expert on healing. What do you think? Can this save Xan?" Warlic's tone of voice made it clear that this question was absolutely critical to him.

"Let me see," Reens muttered to herself, turning the gem over in her hands. "Mana blue... soft like a ball of yarn... Minx Fairy magic..." She turned to one of her worktables and put the Healing Heart on one side of a big ornate gold scale with wooden trim. Quickly adjusting the weights on the other side until it balanced, she continued to speak to herself, now completely under her breath and almost inaudible. Serenity had no idea what Reens might be saying, but the alchemist seemed very deep in consideration.

After several more seconds, Reens spun around with the Healing Heart in her hand and a big smile on her face. "I think so!" she proclaimed. "This is some of the most powerful healing magic I've ever seen. It's got to be just as strong as Moglin healing, but it's different." She gave the tear back to Serenity. "My big brother Curtis told me years ago about what happened with Xan back at mage school. If only the Moglins hadn't been working against their very own magic in that Elemental Healing spell, I'm sure they could have healed him that day. This healing jewel is someone else's magic, so I'm convinced it should do it. Now hurry, get going!"

"Quickly!" Warlic agreed. "I know a little of how that fire feels." His eyes flashed back to an obviously painful memory. Serenity knew he must be thinking of the moment when he'd grabbed Xan's shoulders through the fire to cast the spell that saved Xan's life. She suddenly understood that those few seconds of sharing that pain must have made it even more terrible for Warlic in all the time since that day, because he could always imagine just how much Xan was still being hurt.

Less than a second after he spoke, Warlic was already rushing out of the shop. With his long robes hiding his feet, he almost looked like he was gliding along the ground. He obviously expected Serenity and Cysero to keep up with him.

"Thanks, Reens!" Serenity said quickly, as she put the Healing Heart away again. Then she and Cysero followed Warlic out the door. The Fire-Resistant Laundry Golem hopped up to grab onto Serenity's backpack, then pulled itself up and sat on top with its soft sleeves firmly gripping her shoulders. It seemed like the little pet wasn't about to take any chances on being left behind when everyone was suddenly moving so fast.

* * *

Warlic led the party right up to the portal next to the Guardian Tower, then stopped in front of it for the half a second it took the others to catch up. "Grab my hands," he said. "These portals lead to a lot of different places, and we need to make sure we all get to the one right near Xan's fortress." He tucked his magical orb more firmly under his left elbow and opened his hand. Serenity took it, and Cysero grabbed Warlic's right hand.

"Warlic's Portal!" Warlic declared, and stepped through, confidently leading his friends alongside him. They plunged into the starry darkness within the portal's stone archway, and then there was an instant of total blackness.

After it cleared, Serenity found herself standing with the two older mages outside an identical portal, on a small grassy plateau with trees along one edge and dizzyingly vast mountain views all around in the middle distance. Her laundry golem squeaked in surprise, apparently not any more used to portal-traveling than Serenity herself was. She reached up to give it a reassuring pat.

The air here felt thinner than at home, but very fresh. Serenity found herself taking deep breaths. It was a little harder than usual to get enough air, but overall the effect made her feel full of energy.

"It's this way," Warlic said, and took off again along one of the many narrow paths. Serenity just managed to keep pace this time, now that she was expecting it.

"Hey, Warlic," Cysero said as they went, "Serenity was asking about Xan being crazy. She's worried he might still be that way even after he gets healed. Now I kinda think he'd be fine if he got a chance to think straight, but I don't _know_. What do you think?"

Warlic turned his face to look at both of them, without slowing down. "Xan has a very strong mind. If he didn't, he would be gibberingly insane by now. I believe that he is simply unable to be truly rational through his pain."

"I hope you're right," Serenity said.

"Me too," Warlic answered, with a shadow in his eyes in spite of his confident words. "It would be terrible if his mind was permanently broken by all that he has been through."

* * *

A few moments later, they came to Xan's front door. It was an imposing, arched double doorway, set in a rough and jagged gray mountainside. The door itself was bright orange and printed with a pattern of fire. Above it was a black stone carving of a face, with glowing fiery eyes; two more faces just like it were carved into the cliff face to the sides of the door. Seething lava poured from their open mouths, the way water would if they were gargoyles, and flowed down into deep crevices that cut through the gray rocky plain on either side.

The carvings were obviously made to represent Xan himself, probably something he had made by some use of a magic spell. Serenity thought the faces looked sad as well as threatening.

"Watch out," Warlic cautioned. "There's a trap just here in front of the door." He pointed with his staff at the ground between their feet and the entrance. "When I was here last, with the Adventurer who fought alongside me to capture the Pyronomicon from Xan, it led straight to Xan's throne room. So we _could_ try just jumping into it, since that might be the fastest way to get there. But Xan might have reworked it by now. It could take us anywhere."

"That's a good point," Cysero agreed. "I wouldn't mind visiting the ninja village or someplace interesting like that, but we've got to be here right now! We'd better levitate across."

"Just what I was thinking," Warlic said with a quick nod. He turned to Serenity. "I will take you across. Don't be alarmed."

"It's okay, Cysero already levitated me down from the tower earlier," Serenity said. "I'm used to it."

"Okay," Warlic agreed. He didn't make any gesture or movement that she could detect, but Serenity found herself and the Blue Mage lifting a few inches off the ground, side by side. They floated forward, crossing a patch of what looked like perfectly ordinary stone ground. _But if Warlic says it's a trap,_ Serenity thought, _then it's a trap._

Warlic brought them to a stop right in front of the door, between two black-and-red pots of flickering fire that stood beneath the stone Xan-faces. Just as Serenity was starting to wonder how they would get in, Warlic simply reached out and pulled the right-hand door open by its wrought iron handle. The two mages floated in through the door, then landed softly on the floor inside the fortress.

They looked back at Cysero. He shrugged, grinning, and took a running leap across the eight or ten feet between himself and the door. There was a slight whooshing sound and a flash of green, and then he was past them and inside.

"Why not?" he asked.

Warlic shook his head with a tiny smile. "No reason," he said. Then he went totally serious. "All right, we're inside. Let's have a look around and see if we can find the best way to the throne room. If we're lucky, Xan will be there - if he doesn't find us first, that is."

Serenity looked up and all around. The room they were in was more like a huge cave, very grand and imposing in a wild way. The stone was pretty much like the kind outside, but it looked darker without the direct sunlight hitting it. Instead, this room was lit by the orange radiance of lava: pouring down in streams from high on the walls, standing in pools and running in glowing rivers in various places around the floor of the cave. The light was surprisingly steady. Serenity would have expected it to flicker, but this was molten stone, not flame.

"What a place," she whispered, awed in spite of herself and their crucial quest by the sheer natural beauty. Then she shook herself to bring her mind back into focus. "All right, it looks like there are several passageways along the back wall," she said, pointing. "Which one should we take?"

"The grandest-looking one," Warlic said, pointing with his own hand at a tunnel near the center. "Xan has always had a very strong sense of the theatrical."

Remembering Cysero's illusion spells, Serenity knew that he was right. For a second, she recalled the sight of young Xan bowing like an actor when he had demonstrated his fire magic in Professor Berith's class. "That's true, he has!" she agreed. "You know, Cysero has told me a lot about what things were like when you guys and Xan and Jaania were all in school together. Actually, he cast Nythera's illusion spell on me to show me the memories. It's a _very_ effective spell! I really do feel like I was there myself."

"Indeed - Nythera's spell?" Warlic asked, interested. "Yes, she is becoming quite formidable lately. That spell is definitely one of her best inventions, but of course, she has come up with a number of innovative magics. And she has been showing admirable maturity since that incident with the elementals almost destroying Lore. I am quite proud of her. It is a privilege to be her teacher."

The Blue Mage looked thoughtfully at Serenity. "And now that you know our story, Serenity, you are willing to do all this to help. I must thank you." Then he turned to look at the several choices of passageways again.

The tunnel that Warlic had pointed at was definitely bigger than the others, and it had an ornate black stone arch carved above it. Torches flickered - yes, there was the firelight Serenity had expected - at several evenly spaced points along the arch.

"All right, I'm sold!" Cysero agreed brightly. "Serenity?" At her nod, the wacky inventor strode forward, heading for the ornate tunnel entryway.

They crossed the big cave without incident. As they walked, Warlic suddenly looked intently at Serenity. "I've only just now slowed down enough to catch up with this," he said. "You're a mage now? I saw you looking like that earlier outside the laundry room, but I didn't think twice about it." He smiled. "You wear those robes with such confidence that I didn't notice it was anything out of the ordinary."

"Thank you," Serenity said, surprised and pleased by the compliment. "And yes - Cysero's my teacher. He gave me this equipment earlier today, and he's been training me in how to be a good mage. I can't believe it, but I'm Level 2 already!"

"And you'll soon be Level 3 at this rate," Cysero said, raising his right forefinger. "We're going to be facing lots of monsters here, that's for sure!"

Cysero's words were only too true. As soon as they stepped into the central tunnel, a group of three Inferno Elementals materialized in the air right in front of them.

"Back off, punks!" the elemental in the middle said. It stared threateningly at them with a pair of bright green eyes that matched the dazzling emerald jewel set in its forehead. "You can't go stomping into Xan's fortress without seeing some action!" Without a pause, it threw its genie-like body forward and pounded Warlic over the head with its two flaming fists. He flinched a bit, but kept his eyes locked steadily on it.

The second elemental attacked Cysero, with the same clobbering move that its companion had used on Warlic. Then the third one threw a blast of fire at Serenity.

"OUCH!" she screamed, caught off guard. She had expected an attack, of course, but this was the first time she'd encountered a monster whose attacks really, _really_ hurt. Naturally, it made her think even more ferociously of her determination to reach Xan and heal him.

"We don't have time for this!" she yelled at the elementals. "Now get out of the way _or get flattened!"_ She angled her staff back until it was almost sideways, and flung her magic attack right into the nearest elemental's face. The monster reared back, glaring at her. Serenity stared back, breathing hard. She didn't think she had ever raised her voice that much in her life.

The laundry golem sprang into action. It stomped quickly toward the golem, somehow managing to stomp even though it had a shirt-hem instead of feet. Its whole body language seemed to shout, _You hurt my human!_ Winding up with its right arm, it let fly a hard punch at the elemental's fiery orange belly.

Warlic raised his staff, its diamond-shaped blue-green jewel glowing fiercely, and his whole body floated up a foot or two into the air. With a very challenging expression, he sent a hail of stinging ice and snowflakes at one of the elementals. The monster fizzled, thinning out and disappearing into the air. Serenity heard a disgruntled muttering sound that seemed to be moving away from the Adventurers, as the scattered wisps of fire floated off to wherever the elemental would go to re-form itself.

Cysero, facing down another elemental, slammed the base of his gnarled staff against the stone ground. He raised his other hand, exclaiming something random and magical just as he had when he fought the boveox at Minx Forest. This time, a huge green-leaved tree sprouted right up from the stone in front of him. The tree leaned over fast, slammed into the Inferno Elemental, and sprang back up. Then it disappeared back into the ground in a single second, leaving only a few bright, scattered leaves around the floor.

Sure enough, that elemental disappeared too, grumbling just like the other one. Serenity was glad the monsters weren't actually being harmed; even though they were the party's enemies right now, they still didn't deserve to be actually destroyed. They were, after all, just a part of nature and the world.

Serenity was jarred out of her thoughts by the sight of Cysero quickly stepping in front of her to take the remaining elemental's next attack. He seemed very matter of fact about it, and she supposed it made sense. He and Warlic were much more experienced Adventurers and surely had far more health than Serenity did. Still, it wasn't Serenity's favorite idea to watch someone else getting hurt for her.

"Hey!" she said. "Thanks, Cysero, but let me take my own hits next time!" Stepping around to stand beside him again, she sent another ball of white magic at the elemental. It was the same one she'd attacked before, and this time, it also vanished. Apparently two attacks from her had been enough to defeat this monster.

"Great job, Serenity!" Cysero praised her, obviously proud of his student. "You fought really well! And okay, next time I'll stay out of the way."

* * *

They fought many more monsters as they worked their way further into the fortress, always choosing the most ornate or imposing passageway when there was more than one route forward from an area. Finally, after a battle against two Flamewings and a Lava Glob, Cysero turned to Serenity with a big thumbs-up gesture.

"I've seen enough," he declared. "You've been learning a lot in all these battles. You're now ready to move up to Level 3."

"Wow, really?" Serenity asked, surprised. She'd been so busy with the quest that she'd totally forgotten about the idea of herself becoming more powerful and experienced. "I guess I do feel stronger. Hey - is there another new spell for me to learn?"

"There sure is!" Cysero told her. Warlic didn't say anything, but he seemed quite interested by the chance to see how Cysero went about teaching someone to be a mage.

"All right," Serenity said, feeling a sense of eager excitement. "What's the spell?"

"It's called the Power Boost," Cysero explained. "Now that you've got a significant amount of experience with your magical power, you can learn to channel that power into more focused attacks that do extra damage."

"Okay, how do I cast it?" she asked.

"You know the way you felt when we faced the Inferno Elementals?" Cysero said. "When you yelled at them and you were being really fierce? Well, summon that feeling of power and the need to really blast something, and say 'Power Boost!' as loud as you can."

Suddenly there was a loud, dramatic crackling sound. A flat image of Xan's face and shoulders appeared high in the air in front of them, floating near the cave's arched ceiling.

"WARLIC! How dare you show up and distract me AGAIN? And I don't know what you're planning here, Cysero, but you're both going home! AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Xan!" Serenity gasped. "Where are you? We have to find you!"

"I don't THINK so!" the Xan-image answered triumphantly. Then he paused and looked more closely at her. "Wait - what is this? Aren't you Serenity from the Inn?"

"Yes I am," Serenity answered without hesitation. "Xan, listen, we've come to -"

"No way," Xan said flatly through his illusion window. "Warlic! I'm sending you and Cysero right back where you came from. But I'm in the mood for something random today. Especially since you've irritated me by showing up here and I need something to bring my stress level down. So your companion is going to get to stay, all by herself. And - yeah, she can keep whatever that little mop is she's got standing next to her."

"Xan, _wait!_" Warlic said urgently. But he vanished into thin air before he could say another word.

"Serenity, the spell will last for five turns after you cast it," Cysero said quickly in a low voice. "Arcane Shield -" Then Xan interrupted him.

"And since it's little Serenity..." the image of Xan said dramatically. He paused for effect, then finished, "If she can make it past all of my monsters, I might let her live!"

In the next second, a very worried-looking Cysero simply stopped being there. Serenity stared at the open air where he and Warlic had been standing. Then she turned back to Xan's image in the air and tried one more time.

"Xan, will you please listen!" But he vanished as well, with another mad cackle at her predicament.

"Well," Serenity said with a nervous gulp, looking at her golem pet, "I guess it's just us."

The laundry golem squeaked, standing bravely next to Serenity and shivering from face to hem.

* * *

Serenity and her laundry golem were seriously outmatched by the monsters in Xan's fortress, now that they were facing them alone instead of with two powerful mages by their sides. The next few battles used up both of Serenity's health potions and one of her mana potions.

The young Adventurer stared at her single remaining bottle of swirling blue liquid that was the only way she had left to recharge her power for the rest of this quest. She wondered how it could possibly get her through.

_My heart will get me through,_ Serenity resolved, looking up at the arched ceiling ahead. _I have to get this jewel to Xan. There's no other option. I can't lose!_

As she pressed determinedly forward, three Lava Globs rose out of a jagged, lava-filled crack in the floor ahead of her. There were many little lava streams like this all through the fortress, but only a few of them held monsters.

Serenity took a quick, deep breath, then jumped forward to get the first attack in against the Lava Globs. She could use every little edge she could get, when she was at such a disadvantage on such an important quest.

As she threw the attack, she wondered again what Cysero could have meant by his words just before Xan had teleported him home. She hadn't had a chance to try the Power Boost spell yet, since she didn't feel that she could afford to spend a turn on it and be attacked by whatever monsters she was facing, without the chance to strike at them herself.

Then she made a leap of imagination. _What if I use my two spells __together__?_ she thought as her golem struck at one of the monsters. Cysero had made a point of mentioning the Arcane Shield, and now she believed she understood.

Serenity dodged quickly to the right, then leaped back to her left, managing to avoid the attacks of the first two Lava Globs as she thought, literally, on her feet. The third attack hit, but she almost didn't mind the pain because she had finally figured out what to do.

Planting her staff against the floor, Serenity cast the Arcane Shield. Its protective blue glow surrounded her. Once again her pet smacked a growling Lava Glob across the face, and then Serenity watched the almost soothing sight of three fiery attacks coming towards her only to diffuse harmlessly against her magical barrier.

Still protected by her spell, Serenity raised her staff high. She threw back her head, holding out her arms above her, and let the _need_ to get past this battle fill her heart and mind. Filled with confidence, she called out: "Power Boost!"

White streaks of light twisted around her, stabbing up towards the sky beyond the cave. A feeling of power soared through Serenity, and she flung out a dazzling blast of white energy towards the enemy. Already weakened by the laundry golem's attacks and Serenity's earlier strike, the nearest Lava Glob collapsed into the lava beneath it.

The Fire-Resistant Laundry Golem cheered loudly, like the sound of a huge flag snapping in the wind. It gave Serenity a jaunty thumbs-up and a big grin, then advanced on the second fire monster and jumped up to kick it in what passed for its chest.

Angry and grumbling, the Lava Globs moved forward to attack Serenity. One of them reached out a molten finger to poke at her stomach, and the other threw a ball of lava at her. But her shield still held, and the attacks didn't harm her.

But now her protection was at an end. She still felt the extra magical strength of her Power Boost, but the shield of blue light flickered and disappeared. Grimly she faced the powerful monsters. Once again, she struck out with all the force of her determination to find Xan.

Still, she was only a Level 3 mage and these were very volatile and dangerous creatures. By the time the second Lava Glob fell, the battle was seriously taking its toll on Serenity. Then, one more round of desperate combat later, a wild strike from the one remaining monster slammed her backwards, taking away a great deal more of her health as the flying lava hit its mark.

Serenity was starting to feel dizzy, and there were spots in front of her eyes. _There's no way I'll make it through another attack from this monster,_ she thought. _I'd better defeat it now!_ She raised her hand, angled her staff, and threw a ball of white light at the monster. But either she was too tired and weak, or luck just wasn't on her side. The spell missed.

Next to her, the Fire-Resistant Laundry Golem rustled determinedly. It rolled itself up into a tight ball, flung itself forward, and slammed really hard into the Lava Glob.

_Wow,_ Serenity thought in amazed relief as lava sprayed everywhere and the elemental monster disappeared back into the ground. The laundry golem's attack must have been _just_ enough to defeat it.

"Thanks, little guy!" Serenity said, reaching down to pet her companion's shoulder and almost losing her balance in the process. "Whoops! Hey, you couldn't have come through for me at a better time. You really bailed me out!"

Looking up at her, the golem nodded its fabric head and patted her on the hand. Then it started walking forward, doing its best to pull her along.

"All right!" Serenity said with a laugh, even though she was still feeling very weak. "I guess you're really focused too. Okay, let's keep going. But we better find some way of healing me soon! Otherwise we'll never get to Xan."

Serenity pressed forward, fighting to keep her balance. She was grateful that they weren't seeing any more monsters yet, but she knew they might run across some at any time. _If we do, I'm done for!_ she thought. _And what will that mean for Xan? Maybe... maybe I can sneak past them if I see any monsters..._ But she knew that only some monsters would allow an Adventurer to get by that easily.

As she walked along, Serenity glanced at a small natural doorway in the right wall and saw sparkles in front of her eyes. _I must be really out of it,_ she thought dazedly. _Maybe I'm going to faint...?_ But then she blinked.

"No, I'm not seeing things! But what's that?" Curious in spite of everything, Serenity turned right and led her laundry golem through the jagged little doorway. Inside was a small cave with warm, welcoming-looking brown walls. And near the back of it was a majestic white marble fountain rising in three smooth tiers from the rocky floor. The fountain was running with a low musical sound, glowing brightly with a red-gold light...

It was flowing with lava. And this was where the sparkles were coming from. Iridescently orange, yellow, and diamond-clear, they danced in the air all around the fountain. Trying to make sense of the sight, the injured mage stared at it. Then a quiet feeling of triumph spread through her mind, and she smiled.

Serenity remembered something Cysero had told her earlier that day. _There are always sparkles around any kind of a healing location._

"Thank you, Cysero," she said quietly even though her teacher was nowhere nearby. "I think you saved my life and the quest with that bit of information."

Without hesitation, Serenity reached her hands into the lava and scooped some up just as she had done with the magical water from the healing fountain in Minx Forest. It didn't burn her, but then she hadn't really expected it to. There was actually something unreasonably soothing about the feeling of the smooth, dense, warm lava around her hands.

Actually drinking the lava was an even more surprising feeling, but just as nice. It was like drinking a cup of tea that was still too hot. The roof of Serenity's mouth felt a bit scorched, but otherwise she felt much better.

Completely healed and ready for action once again, Serenity turned away from the fountain and marched right back through the doorway into the main passage. Her laundry golem tagged along, rustling and chittering in obvious relief as it smiled up at her.

* * *

Serenity soon realized that her discovery of the healing spot would be time-consuming as well as vitally useful. Battered and scorched after a battle with two fire-eyed Flamewing bats, she ruefully headed right back to heal herself again. At least the monsters weren't back yet when she came back to the place where she had fought them.

_So I __will__ be able to make it!_ she thought in relief. _At least going back to the fountain wasn't a total waste of my time._

Again and again, after each battle, Serenity and her pet doubled back to the healing lava fountain. She hated the delay, but knew it was her only real chance to get through the fortress now that she was out of potions.

At one point, holding their breath, Serenity and the laundry golem tiptoed past a ferocious Sun Warrior. The big elemental fire beast snarled at them as they passed so close beside it that Serenity could feel its heat blasting against her body. But the monster didn't attack. Serenity and her loyal friend finally let their breath out as they rounded a corner into the next gray, rocky passageway.

In that moment Serenity realized that there would be no more trips back to the lava fountain. She couldn't risk trying to sneak past a monster this dangerous multiple times. With a major feeling of apprehension, she understood that she would have to make it all the way to Xan now without any more chances to refill her health.

_Xan, why are you trying to stop me?_ Serenity thought in frustration. But she knew why. _If only you knew I'm trying to help you!_

Somehow, Serenity made it through two more battles and past a half-dozen other dubiously staring monsters who didn't quite work themselves up into attacking as she and her devoted friend the laundry golem edged by. Finally, she looked up in tired disbelief at a huge, grand archway leading into a massive chamber.

The black stone arch, ringed with flashing torches, looked like a bigger and more ornate version of the one that had led out of the first big cave in the fortress. Beyond it she could see a jutting peninsula that led out across a vast open expanse of orange-lit air. More of the stone carvings of Xan's face, their mouths pouring out streams of lava, ringed the edges of the stony outcrop; they faced away from her in all directions. At the very end of the peninsula, with its back towards Serenity to look out over what must be a great, deep lava pool below, was a boldly patterned red and black throne.

And standing between Serenity and the throne, facing her with his teeth bared in a painful, insane grin, was Xan.

Serenity caught her breath. It was almost too painful to look at him, now that she was finally seeing him in person. Imagining the pain he must be feeling, and knowing that this was _real_ and happening right in front of her, the kind-hearted young Innkeeper's mind was trapped for a moment and she couldn't move.

Xan, however, seemed to have no such difficulty. He took a step towards her, clutching a ball of fire in his right hand as if he might just plan on throwing it at her. A definite part of Serenity's mind knew that if he did, he would surely defeat her with just one attack. But she didn't have any space in her heart to fear for herself. She broke loose from her paralysis and moved forward herself to close the distance between them. Reaching back, she pulled the precious Healing Heart out of her backpack and held it tightly.

The Pyromancer threw back his head and laughed, a decidedly unbalanced sound that was also absolutely full of pain warring against a deep inner strength. "I've already faced four million waves of Adventurers who came to my fortress to bother me. I've defeated them all! Well... almost all. And now you think YOU can defeat me, Serenity?"

"I'm not here to defeat you," Serenity declared.

Xan paused. "You're not?" he asked, blankly puzzled. "I thought _I_ was crazy! You're telling me you fought your way past my fire monsters WITHOUT planning to challenge me?"

"Yes, that's right, Xan," Serenity said boldly. "I have risked my life to come here, all for the chance to do... this!"

Serenity threw the Healing Heart at Xan, and it hit him in the chest.

"What? How dare - ?" Xan yelled, outraged. He screamed in surprise as an oval of bright yellow light flared outward around his body from the spot where the Heart had struck him. Serenity raised an arm, shielding her eyes, as the light grew so bright that it filled her vision. Finally, after an agelong heartbeat, it cleared.

Serenity stared at Xan in amazement, realizing she was seeing him as his own self for the first time outside of an illusion. He looked just like he had when he was in school at Swordhaven Magic Academy, but older. He was definitely grown up now, about the same age as Cysero and Warlic.

Xan's bold green eyes stared at her forcefully. The intense expression and soft color were just as striking a combination as she remembered from the illusions.

"What did you just do?" he asked in a surprisingly rational voice.

"It was all Cysero's idea," Serenity explained. "He used an illusion spell to show me all the stuff that happened when you and he and Warlic and Jaania were at school. He wanted to help set everything right, and he asked me to help him do it. Then Warlic found out, and he's been helping too."

"And that magic you used," Xan asked. "What was it?"

"The Queen of the Minx Fairies gave it to us. It was one of her tears... She cried for you, Xan, and I guess that power was enough to heal you." Serenity smiled through blinding tears of her own. "Maybe it's kind of like hugs," she said.

Xan looked thoughtful. "Maybe," he agreed. "Jaania showed me and all our classmates the power of hugs, way back when we were in school -" Then he broke off.

"Jaania..." he said quietly, a painful memory and a wild hope filling his eyes. "I've always thought I'd be stuck in that healing-fire spell for the rest of my life. And it's a fact of nature that _anything_ can happen when Cysero is involved. So maybe..." He trailed off again, his mind obviously working rapidly.

"Wait a minute! You're not crazy any more, are you?" Serenity asked, feeling even more joyful than she had a moment earlier when she saw that Xan was no longer on fire. "Warlic thought this might happen, but we were all really scared. But you're okay, aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Xan said shortly. "I was just distracted, that's all. Now I can focus." He looked at her with a blazing intensity just as strong as when his eyes had really been lit with fire. "Leave me alone. I have to think for a while."

* * *

Meanwhile, Warlic and Cysero were going out of their minds with worry. They were both pacing back and forth across their living room at the top of the tower they shared, completely ignoring the yellow line that they had painted across the floor to separate their halves of the tower. Having appeared back here some time ago, both of the mages had agreed that they couldn't risk going back to Xan's fortress after Serenity. Making Xan angrier would put Cysero's apprentice at too much of a risk, even compared to the danger she already faced.

_I hope she can get through,_ Warlic thought, worried for the selfless young woman who had stepped so readily out of her ordinary life to help them all. _And, please - let her be able to save Xan too._

The door banged open, and Warlic and Cysero both looked up sharply to see Serenity framed in it. Her brown robes were kind of singed, and the pet laundry golem beside her looked a little more unkempt than its usual surprisingly neat self, but they were both smiling triumphantly.

Serenity and her pet hurried in through the door. The Innkeeper was beaming now beneath her ruffled headband. "Warlic, Cysero! It worked - Xan's okay now!"

Suddenly Warlic felt only half as sad as usual: only for the still-trapped Jaania, now that Xan was safe. "Really?" he asked. It was almost hard to believe after all this time, but he knew it had to be true. "Cysero, Serenity - thank you."

Then his thoughts turned completely to Jaania. _Is it possible, after she's been trapped for so long?_ Filled with sudden hope, he looked at his friends. "Maybe now Xan will finally be willing to work with me on freeing Jaania!"

"He might!" Cysero replied with a grin. "Why not ask him?"

Part of Warlic wanted to run straight back to Xan's fortress and do just that, but he shook his head. "No," he said seriously. "As far as I know, Jaania is not in pain." He looked out one of Cysero's crazy sideways windows, his mind automatically adjusting the view as always so it felt like he was looking at the land and sky straight on. Far away, past the tree-lined horizon, stood the Elemental Mountains... Xan's volcanic fortress... and Jaania.

"It hurts to say it, but her best chance at being freed is if we wait for Xan to make the next move."


	9. Council of Mages

Chapter 9: Council of Mages

Serenity felt especially peaceful that night when she snuggled into her bed to sleep. Of course, her life was usually quiet and peaceful, but this was different. This was the feeling of having really helped someone who had been in terrible trouble.

_More than one someone,_ Serenity thought. The looks on Cysero's and Warlic's faces earlier - especially Warlic's - had been wonderful to see. As relieved as Serenity herself felt about Xan being healed, when she had only really understood the situation since that same morning, she could imagine how wonderful this must be for his old friends after years of hurting for him.

Besides all that, her soft, warm laundry golem pet had stuffed itself right under her head, insisting on acting as a pillow for her. _That,_ she thought as she drifted off, _would have to make anyone feel peaceful._

* * *

The next morning, a letter arrived for Serenity at her Inn. Curious, she distractedly thanked the departing mail carrier and looked at the envelope. It was a stony tan color, with bold black letters proclaiming her name, "Serenity," across the front.

"I think I recognize that handwriting," Serenity mused aloud. Opening the envelope, she pulled out a folded piece of heavy, durable paper in the same shade of tan.

Printed on the letter was a simple, short message: "Meet me at the Inn in Falconreach." It was signed, of course, "Xan."

_Wow, I didn't expect to hear from him this soon!_ the Innkeeper thought. _Well, I'm already at the Inn, so I can meet him when he arrives._ Putting away the letter, she went about her business.

After the excitement of yesterday, and with the prospect of more adventure today, it was definitely restful to be back in her own familiar home, wearing just her usual dress again while her mage robes were, for the moment, folded up neatly in a drawer. Her laundry golem, meanwhile, was obviously worn out from yesterday's hectic adventures. She had left it flopped across her bed this morning, sprawled out like any piece of laundry and very clearly sound asleep. But she had no doubt that, just like Serenity herself, her pet would be ready and eager to jump back into action after this short break.

Moments later, Xan himself walked in the door. The few Adventurers who were seated around various tables either didn't look up or didn't seem to recognize him, but Serenity did. Tall and sturdy, with the same short brown hair and strong green eyes that she recalled from the memories of his school days, he walked with as much confidence and controlled power as ever. But he seemed far more relaxed than usual - which was only to be expected. She was overcome once again by the awesomeness of seeing him _not_ being hurt.

Xan looked around, spotted Serenity, and waved.

"Hello," he said. "Are Cysero and Warlic here yet?"

"No," Serenity answered, walking over to greet him. She wasn't surprised that he had also invited them. There could only be one reason for this: Jaania.

Recalling her manners as a hostess, Serenity gave Xan a sincere, welcoming smile. "I'm sure they'll be here soon," she said. "In the meantime, why don't you have a seat?" She gestured to a large, empty round table in a more or less out-of-the-way part of the room. Nodding once, Xan went over and sat down.

The Innkeeper was suddenly struck by another hospitable notion. "I'll be right back," she said politely, excusing herself. She walked to her small kitchen at the back of the Inn's main room. _Xan must not have had a cold beverage in years,_ she thought. Filling a tall glass of iced water, she put it on a round wooden tray and started back.

Arriving at the table, she set down the tray and handed the iced water to Xan. "I thought... you might like something to drink while you wait for Cysero and Warlic to get here?" Serenity felt a bit awkward about offering a small gesture like this, but she figured her own embarrassment was no big deal.

Xan gave her a surprised look. He obviously understood what she was thinking. "That's very considerate of you, Serenity!"

"You're welcome," she answered shyly.

The Pyromancer downed a third of the glass in one gulp. "Ahh, refreshing!" he said with a big smile. Then he indicated the empty chair to his right. "Why don't you sit down, too?" he invited.

"Thanks, I will." Serenity took a seat.

In the next second, the front door of the Inn opened. Serenity half-expected to see Warlic and Cysero, but instead it was the little orange Moglin, Twilly, who stood there.

"I thought so!" the healer cried triumphantly. "I thought I recognized you when you walked by!" Twilly punted himself in a flying leap all the way across the room. Bouncing from the floor to the tabletop, he launched himself from there right onto a very surprised Xan's face.

"Xan! You're all betters!" Twilly exclaimed in jubilation, hugging Xan around the noggin with all his might. "I have to go tell Grandpa right away!"

Serenity blinked, unable to figure out quite what to say.

"Oof!" Xan protested sternly in a somewhat muffled voice. "That's great, Twilly, but now I can't breathe. Get off!" He reached up and pried Twilly loose, then deposited him on the table. Undaunted, the little Moglin beamed up at him.

"Sorry, Xan!" Twilly said. "But wow, you got healed!"

"That's right, but Jaania is still trapped," Xan said in a serious voice.

Twilly's big dark eyes flooded with sympathy. "Oh noes!"

Serenity finally found her voice. "That's true," she said. "But don't worry, Twilly. We're going to find a way to free her very soon."

"Yes, we will," a confident voice anwered from the doorway.

"Yup," a second voice agreed.

Serenity looked over and saw that this time, it really was Warlic and Cysero. The two mages, one dressed in blue and the other in green as always, walked quickly over to join Serenity, Xan, and Twilly at the table.

"Please sit down," Serenity invited them. She stood up from her own chair, excused herself again, and hurried back to the kitchen with her tray. When she returned a moment later with three more glasses of iced water and a small glass of berry juice for Twilly, she saw that Cysero and Warlic had already taken seats of their own at the table.

"You know, I still love her more than you do," Xan was saying, with a challenging stare at Warlic. Of course, Serenity thought as she sat back down, he had to be talking about Jaania.

"XAN!" Warlic almost yelled. Then he stopped, took a deep breath, and glanced down at the tabletop for a few seconds. When he looked up and spoke again, his face and his voice were composed.

"Maybe you're right." The Blue Mage shook his head slightly. "I don't know how to guess. But this competition between us isn't important anymore. Not that it ever was - as I've learned." He looked appealingly at his old friend, very much the way he had in Principal Vanessa's office shortly after the disastrous spell duel.

"Xan, can you possibly forgive me?"

For a long moment, Xarymandias just stared at him. Cysero, Serenity, and Twilly all kept quiet, not wanting to interfere. Then Xan looked squarely at Warlic's face and replied in a slow, thoughtful voice. "Warlic.. it wasn't just your fault. I have to take responsibility, too. Jaania is imprisoned right now not only because of you, but also because of me."

Warlic let out a slow breath. A look of sudden relief lit up his eyes, but they still also held a great deal of guilt. "Thank you," he said. "But Xan, I hurt you too... I deeply regret it."

"And if you hadn't cast the healing spell on me," Xan said steadily, "I would not still be alive to help Jaania now. So I can't blame you for that either." He looked at Cysero and Serenity, then back at Warlic. "But you know, I'm glad you three found a way to remove the fire spell. It was getting really annoying."

"You know, Xan, 'annoying' isn't the word I'd have picked," Cysero said. He sounded as astonished as Serenity felt at Xan's choice of words. "I was thinking 'painful'."

"That too," Xan agreed. "Anyway, it was infuriatingly hard to concentrate. So - thanks, you guys."

"You're welcome," Serenity said quietly. Warlic and Cysero nodded their agreement.

"I better go," Twilly put in, hopping down from the table. "I still needs to tell all the other Moglins the good news!" Matter-of-factly, he whisked out the door. "Good luck saving Jaania!" he called back from outside, before Serenity heard the faint patter of his little orange feet running excitedly off into the distance.

"All right," Xan said decisively, bringing the palms of his hands down hard against the tabletop for emphasis. "I called you all here to help me figure out what to do about Jaania."

Once again, he looked around at all of them in turn. "Warlic, I've decided you're right - you and I need to work together to save her, just as you've been saying all along. I can't afford to mistrust you, because I need your help. Cysero - your ability to make the impossible seem easy may be just what we need here. And Serenity - you've proven that you're ready to completely devote yourself to a cause once you take it on. I have to admire that. And if you weren't resourceful, you never would have made it through my fortress. So that's why I'm asking for your help, too."

"Then the question is," Warlic said, intently focused now on the problem at hand, "just what do we do?"

"Enlist a troop of dwakels to chip her out?" Cysero suggested.

Serenity stared at him. "What are dwakels?"

"Yes, what are they?" Warlic inquired. Xan looked questioningly at Cysero, seeming to be as much in the dark as the others.

"They're really neat!" Cysero said enthusiastically. "They're like little drakel, but sort of like dwarves too. They have these big, sharp pickaxes, and they're really good at mining rock -"

"No way," Xan and Warlic both said at the same time.

"That's too dangerous," Xan went on.

"They might hurt Jaania by accident," Warlic finished.

"Oops," Cysero said apologetically. "I didn't think of that! Sorry. Okay, back to the drawing board."

_What's a drawing board?_ Serenity thought, but she didn't say it aloud. They could go on forever following Cysero's random tangents if they weren't careful.

"Right," Warlic said. "Actually, the idea of asking for help has definitely occured to me. I remembered what Professor Jeremy said about wind magic being the most likely to help, and I thought it would be wise to go directly to the forces of nature themselves."

"The forces of nature?" Serenity said. "Do you mean the elementals? I know they're really powerful. I saw what happened in Falconreach when they got angry after Nythera offended them. If they could do all that - Warlic, do you think they can help?"

"They may well be able to," Warlic replied, "but the mere fact of their power is not enough. I spoke to the wind elementals years ago and asked for their help in freeing Jaania. They were sympathetic, but they said they could not interfere with the results of a duel between humans." Warlic's eyes were filled with an old sadness. "They said we have to find our own solution."

"Then let's find one," Xan said. "If no one else is going to help us, we will free Jaania ourselves. Warlic, what can your magic do here? I know you have an infinite supply of mana points."

"Only approximately," Warlic answered. "I have never truly understood why, but when I cast a spell, my mana increases instead of being drained. So for all intents and purposes, I have more mana points than I can ever really use. But still, I am limited by my own knowledge and skill in the use of that mana. My strongest spells would be nowhere near powerful enough, I'm afraid."

Then Serenity remembered something an Adventurer had told her about once, returning from a quest with Warlic to save the town of Lymcrest from Xan's fiery vengeance. There had been a powerful tome that Warlic and the Adventurer had taken from Xan, to prevent him from using its magic to hurt people. It had appearently made the angry Pyromancer far more powerful than Warlic, but he had only used its magic for evil and violence. _But now, could that same power be used for good?_ she wondered.

"What about that book of fire magic, the Pyronomicon?" Serenity suggested. "From what I've heard, it's incredibly powerful. Why couldn't that magic be used to rescue Jaania?"

"Here's the problem," Xan said, scowling. "The Pyronomicon probably would have enough power to free Jaania - but she's trapped in a _crystal_! It would require wind magic, not fire, to break it."

"Hey, I know about wind!" Cysero put in. Serenity recognized his expression: he was about to go off on one of his rambles. She stared at him. Cysero was absolutely well-meaning, but he could be _so_ absentminded! What a time for it!

"Wind is caused by the movements of hot air masses -" Cysero began in an animated tone, but before he could get his explanation properly launched Xan interrupted him.

"That's it!" the Pyromancer exclaimed. "Cysero, you've got it! Heat creates wind..."

Serenity looked at him in surprise, wondering what he meant. Then she looked over at Warlic, who was beginning to nod in understanding, his eyes wide with sudden hope. Meanwhile, Cysero's customary good-natured smile was gradually widening into a huge grin.

Xan's own face was filled with hope and amazement as he continued to speak. "I may be able to find a way to focus the power of the Pyronomicon into a wind spell. But it would take an incredible amount of mana to power such a spell..."

Everyone turned to look at Warlic.

"Of course," Warlic said very seriously, his eyes bright. Somehow, the Blue Mage looked very young just now. "Xan, if it might save Jaania... my mana and my life are yours."

"Your life?" Serenity asked in alarm. "This isn't going to _kill_ you, is it?"

"It might," Cysero told her grimly. "Warlic's infinite supply of mana points can be very dangerous. He still only has an ordinary human body, and if too much mana were ever to be channeled through it..." Cysero shook his head. "Poof," he finished expressively.

"Poof," Serenity whispered back, appalled.

* * *

Over the next few minutes, the determined group of mages quickly discussed their plans. The quest as it was taking form would be pretty straightforward: they would go and retrieve the Pyronomicon from where Warlic had placed it in hiding after he and the Adventurer had captured it from Xan, and then they would immediately try to rescue Jaania.

"Hey, before we go," Cysero said as they were about to stand up from the table and leave, "I've got something for you, Xan." He reached down and picked up his backpack from the floor where it was leaning against the left side of his chair, and pulled it up into his lap. Opening it, he reached in and pulled out his staff.

"Nope," Cysero said, as Serenity and the others watched, "that's not it..." Over the next half a minute or so, he pulled out a wild assortment of items. Most of them were so random, anachronistic, or otherwise incomprehensible that Serenity could not imagine what they might possibly be. Others were mundane but surprising to see out of context, like spoons and forks and a small collection of what looked like multi-colored furniture cushions. Finally, as the heap on the floor to Cysero's right started to grow past the height of the table, the green-robed mage's face brightened.

"Hey! Here it is!" He reached into his backpack one more time, fished around a little more, and pulled out... another backpack. With a big, satisfied smile, he plunked it onto the table in front of him. "Here you go," he said cheerfully, pushing it toward Xan.

"Why is there so much room inside your backpack, Cysero?" Serenity asked curiously. "It doesn't _look_ any bigger than anyone else's."

Cysero shrugged. "It's one of my specialties."

Meanwhile, Xan had reached out across the table and pulled the offered backpack towards himself, skillfully dodging everyone's glasses of water and managing not to let the backpack bump into or spill any of them. With an expression of growing surprise and curiosity, he stared at it, then opened it and looked inside. A second later he looked up at Cysero.

"This is my old backpack from school!" Xan exclaimed. "Wow... I haven't seen this stuff in years. And -" With an unusually soft smile, his green eyes filling with emotion, Xan pulled out a soft, woolen length of gray fabric.

"Yeah, your cape is still in there," Cysero said. "All your stuff is. I figured you might want it again someday, so I've been keeping it around for you."

"I remember you wearing that at school," Warlic said. "You called it the Smoky Cape, right? You told me once that your mother made it for you."

"That's right," Xan said.

"Why don't you wear it now?" Serenity asked softly. "I know what a mother's gifts can mean." She briefly touched her own little gold heart necklace. The simple piece of jewelry was very important to her, a constant little reminder of her mother's love and faith in her as she went about her adult life. "You're going to need all the help and luck you can get, to make sure that you and Warlic will be able to save Jaania."

"I think I will." Xan stood up, shook out the cape, and put it on. The smoke-gray color seemed to complete the picture he made in his striking black-and-red outfit, giving him a somewhat softer and overall more balanced look.

"Now, where is the Pyronomicon?" Xan asked, turning to Warlic.

"It is in the safest place possible," Warlic said. "I left it in Oaklore Keep, in the hands of Loremaster Maya."

"You hid it with Maya?" Xan all but exploded. "That little girl? I could have taken it from her anytime...!"

"No," Warlic interrupted quietly, "you couldn't."

* * *

Author's Note: Only three more chapters to go! Chapter 12 will be the last one. I'm really on a roll writing this story, and all three remaining chapters are already partly written, so you should be seeing this fic finished very soon. =D


	10. The Pyronomicon

Chapter 10: The Pyronomicon

Eager to get moving, now that she and the other mages had thought of a plan to rescue Jaania from inside her crystal, Serenity hurried upstairs to get her mage robes and backpack, and to wake up her pet laundry golem. The little creature was still asleep, sprawled out on her bed just like it had been earlier that morning.

"Let's go," Serenity said quietly, shaking the golem gently by the shoulder to wake it. Turning its head a little, it mumbled something and gave her a bit of a confused look. Then, seeming to fully wake up, it bounced upright on the bed and threw its floppy arms around her waist in a cheerful hug. A moment later it hopped down to the floor and stood looking up at her with bright eyes and a big smile, clearly ready for action once again.

Serenity laughed. The laundry golem was just too cute! "I don't think _I_ even wake up that fast!" she told it, and it straightened up and looked rather smug. Shaking her head, Serenity went and got out her mage equipment. She dropped the mage robes on over her dress, put on her backpack and settled the straps around her shoulders, then quickly went back downstairs to the main room of the Inn.

"Don't forget your potions this time, Serenity!" Cysero said helpfully, as she walked up to join him and Xan and Warlic.

"Oh, thanks!" Serenity answered. She had indeed forgotten to refill her potion bottles after using most of them up during yesterday's quest. Now she quickly did so, scooping up the red and blue magical potions from the big jars behind her counter where she kept them to give to visiting Adventurers.

"No problem," Cysero said. "I figured I'd better make sure I didn't overlook that again, like I did last time. You're a great student, and I have to make sure I'm a good teacher!"

"Come on," Warlic said eagerly. "Let's hurry to Oaklore Keep and get the Pyronomicon!"

Xan, standing next to him, nodded fiercely. "Jaania can't wait any longer! We have to free her _now_." For once, he and Warlic were showing no signs of the usual tension between them. Instead, they were obviously motivated by the same thoughts and the same goal to work as a team.

"All right," Serenity said, starting towards the door. The three other mages followed her as she continued speaking. "I think I know the quickest way to get there. All the Adventurers talk about it. Why don't we catch a ride with the travel griffin?"  
"Great idea, Serenity!" Cysero said. By now, they were outside, and they turned left around the side of the Inn and headed up the slope toward the Guardian Tower's hill. That was where the friendly, responsible griffin kept his post, waiting to help Adventurers to make their way quickly around Lore.

"Yes," Warlic said. "But the griffin can only carry three people and one pet at a time. I don't think he can take us all to Oaklore in one trip."

"That's okay," Xan said. "You three go ahead and ride the griffin to Oaklore Keep. I'll meet you there." Without waiting for an answer, he said a few quick spell words in a very practiced voice. That same instant, he disappeared.

"Oh," Serenity said, a bit startled. "I guess he must have teleported! Now that I think of it, Xan is very good at that, isn't he? I mean, he teleported himself and Jaania away from Swordhaven when he was still a student, and yesterday he sent both of you all the way back here from his fortress when he wasn't even in the room with us!"

"Yes, Xan has always been a very skilled teleporter," Warlic confirmed. "And as he said, this does take care of our current problem. Now the griffin will have no trouble carrying the rest of us to the Keep."

Just then, the party was turning east to walk past the magical portal they'd used yesterday. A few steps later, they reached the proud brown-and-red griffin who stood on the edge of the hill, overlooking the majestic view beyond the steeply dropping cliff.

"Oh, hey there," the griffin said, turning his noble white eagle face to look at them. "Can I do you all a favor, young Adventurers?" Then he blinked, seeming to look at them more carefully. "Now then, if it isn't Warlic and Cysero! And Innkeeper Serenity, my young miss!" He dipped his head in a courtly gesture of respect. "I've always wanted to offer you a ride one day, miss, if I may say so. And you do look to be an Adventurer now, in those spanking new Mage robes! So maybe I'll be seeing you more often?"

"Hello!" Serenity said. "Yes, you might be. But for today, Cysero and Warlic and I need a ride to Oaklore Keep. We're on an important quest. Would you take us there?"

"But of course!" the griffin said agreeably. "I'm always pleased to be able to help out you Adventurers on your quests." He moved his near wing back and out of the way. "Do hop aboard!"

Cysero, as might be expected, jumped on first. Warlic followed, moving more sedately but with equal confidence.

That left Serenity. She stepped right up next to the griffin, and only when she raised her foot to step up behind Warlic did she feel a sudden nervousness. _He's going to __fly__!_ she realized, even though she had already known it. Now, the prospect actually registered. _Levitation spells are one thing, but will I be able to hold on?_ But she didn't hesitate for more than a few seconds. After everything else she'd faced, a fear like this was not about to slow her down. Breathing out sharply, she swung her leg across the griffin's back and hopped up behind Warlic. A second later, her laundry golem jumped up and stuffed itself into her arms. It gave her another of those very expressive looks: _You better hold me tight!_ was the definite message this time.

"Don't be nervous, miss!" the griffin said in a voice of cheerful reassurance, turning his head back towards her for a second. "I won't drop you!" Almost at the same time, he took one mighty stride forward and then another. His great brown and white wings swept up and down with each step. In the next pace after that, he gathered himself and leaped off the edge of the cliff into open air.

Serenity gasped at the sheer swiftness of the movement, feeling the wind of that motion blowing her long hair suddenly back from her face. She clutched the laundry golem to her chest with her left arm, and flung her right arm around Warlic's waist for balance.

Without saying anything, the Blue Mage put a calm, strong hand over her own. Serenity felt reassured, and at the same time there was something about his gesture that also made her feel deeply respected. He did not look down on her for being alarmed; it was simply a matter-of-fact expression of companionship. Serenity got the idea that he would have readily accepted the same type of gesture from her, if he had been the one who was anxious about something.

By the time Serenity felt composed enough to look around, they were soaring westward away from Falconreach, swiftly passing over a deep, wild-looking forest. A moment later, a truly enormous oak tree surrounded by much smaller white towers came into view in a large open area. As they neared it and began to swoop downward, Serenity realized that this must be Oaklore.

"Hey, would you stop back here for us in a little while?" she heard Cysero asking the griffin.

"Count on it!" the flying beast agreed.

The griffin landed just inside the wide, gradually curving outer wall of the keep, a short distance in front of the mighty oak tower itself. "End of the line, friends!" he announced. Standing quietly, he waited until all four of them had dismounted. Then, with a quick but very courtly and correct bow, he sprang back into the sky. Apparently, without passengers for the return trip, he did not need a running start in order to take off.

Serenity looked around, curious and amazed at the sights and sounds of this new place. Oaklore seemed to be a busy town, just as many Adventurers had told her when they arrived in Falconreach from this direction. Several knights and other townsfolk were running here and there, with a cheerfully urgent sound of hustle and hubbub and a certain amount of armor-clanking. Below it all, in a surprisingly harmonious contrast, was a low whispering rustle from the thousands on thousands of leaves in the high branches of the Keep's central oak tree.

The Innkeeper smiled. She loved Falconreach too much to ever permanently move away, but she could imagine that the people of Oaklore must find this a very happy place to live.

Xan, of course, was already there. "Hello!" he said, walking forward to meet them. "You're here, so let's go see Maya right away."

At that moment, Cysero seemed to catch sight of someone he recognized. "Heya, Cousin Rolith!" he exclaimed. He was striding quickly forward to greet a very tall, sandy-haired knight with serious olive-colored eyes.

The knight looked startled, then his businesslike face relaxed into a wide smile. "Cysero!" he said in a warm voice. "It's good to see you! How have you been? Laundry monsters treating you all right?"

"Never better!" Cysero replied cheerfully, as Serenity, Warlic, and Xan all stared in surprise. "In fact," the inventor mage went on, "my friend Serenity's got one of 'em right here. Come on, Serenity, show my cousin Rolith your laundry golem!"

"He's your cousin?" Serenity asked, finally finding her voice. She stepped forward, leading her golem by the sleeve. "Cysero made it for me. It's a wonderful pet! But - you're really Cysero's cousin, Sir Kinght?"

"Sure!" Cysero said. "The one and only Captain Rolith, leader of the knights of King Alteon."

Rolith smiled down at the laundry golem and patted its head in greeting, not seeming the least bit intimidated or alarmed by it. The golem beamed up at him and squeaked happily in reply.

Meanwhile, Cysero pulled out his Oak Staff from his backpack and held it up in front of himself. "And he's a very talented weaponsmith, too! He's the one who gave me this staff when I graduated from Swordhaven."

"Oh, come on!" Rolith protested, seeming just a little embarrassed now at all the praise. "I couldn't have made it by myself. Sir Jing and Sir Vey put a lot of their expertise into crafting this weapon."

"I know," Cysero said. "But complimenting you is fun. It makes you smile, and you need that. I always said you're way too serious! When was the last time you went to a party?"

"Ummmm..." Captain Rolith said, thinking. "About three weeks ago...?"

"Good enough," Cysero decided. "I'm proud of you, cousin! You need to keep that fun going. Otherwise you'll turn into a stuffy old prune!"

"Cysero?" Serenity asked. "How come you know so many people here?"

The green-robed mage turned to look at her. "Don't you know? This is my hometown. I used to hang around with Sir Jing all the time when I was a kid." Cysero grinned even more widely than usual. "That guy sure had some interesting ideas about weaponmaking! I learned a lot from him. Haven't talked to him in a while, though. Wonder what he's been up to?"

"Not _now,_" Xan said sternly, as Cysero began to show every sign of being about to whoosh off in some random direction and look for his childhood friends. "It is time to go and get my Pyronomicon back from that little librarian. Come on!"

"Indeed," Warlic said. "We must speak with Maya. I do hope she will allow us to take back the book."

"Right-O," Cysero said. "Bye, Rolith! Make sure you keep taking care of yourself and don't get too boring."

"Okay," Captain Rolith said, as they walked away.

* * *

Warlic led the party up to a white tower that stood just to the west of the main oak-tree that formed the central part of the Keep's castle. A normal-sized door, its sides curving up to a point at the top, led into the side tower. Above it was a shield painted with the image of a sturdy beeswax candle, partly melted and with a bright fire burning on the wick. It looked like the perfect kind of candle to study by.

_I wonder what Warlic meant about Loremaster Maya?_ Serenity thought to herself, as they walked into the tower. _First he said Xan couldn't have taken the Pyronomicon from her, and now he says she might not give it to us at all. But why not?_

Serenity had heard of Loremaster Maya from some of her Adventurer guests. The young librarian of Oaklore Keep was said to take her work very seriously, and to be a responsible chronicler of Lore's events. But Serenity had never heard anything to make her suspect that the Loremaster could have stood against a determined attack by the very dangerous Xan.

Inside the library, they came face to face with a girl in a fancy beige-and-purple dress with long white gloves, holding a large blue book in her arms. She looked several years younger than Serenity, but had a very serious and composed air about her. She wore her brown hair in two short, puffy ponytails on the sides of her head, and her deep gray eyes looked solemnly at them through a pair of oversized wire-rimmed glasses. She was, of course, Loremaster Maya.

"Welcome to Oaklore Keep!" she said. "I am the Loremaster here. How can I help you?" It sounded almost like a ritual, as though she had used these very same words many times before to greet countless Adventurers. Her even gaze went from one to another of the party members, until she looked down at the small blue laundry golem who stood by Serenity's side. Then her eyes somehow went even wider than usual.

"That is a laundry golem." Maya spoke quietly, sounding very alarmed. "Keep it away from my books!"

"Don't worry," Serenity said quickly. She found herself feeling indignant on her little friend's behalf, even though she understood that Maya's concerns about laundry golems in general were justified. "This isn't a wild laundry golem. It's my pet. Cysero made it for me."

"Cysero..." Maya repeated dubiously. "That isn't very reassuring, but we'll go with it." She leveled a stern finger at Serenity. "As long as that creature doesn't eat any of my books. If it does, I will expect you to go out and quest for replacements."

Serenity couldn't see how her laundry golem would ever eat _anything_, with its painted mouth, but she figured Maya had a right to be skeptical. "Fair enough," she agreed.

"Now, what may I do for all of you?" Maya asked.

"Warlic said you have the Pyronomicon," Xan said bluntly, striding forward to lock eyes with her. "Give it back. We need it for something very important now."

Maya narrowed her eyes, staring back at him. For an instant, Serenity thought she caught a glimpse of something old and deeply powerful in those eyes.

"Xarymandias," the Loremaster said in a quiet but almost challenging tone. Obviously, she had recognized Xan without difficulty. "You have not exactly been a force for good in Lore. Of course, I do not stand for good either, but I am at least in favor of order. You will have some convincing to do if you want me to give back the book that you have done such damage with in the past."

"You don't talk like a little girl!" Serenity said, before thinking it through. "I'm sorry - I don't mean to be rude but you really don't!"

"Loremaster Maya is far from being a little girl," Warlic put in seriously. "In fact, Loremaster Maya is not really 'Maya' at all."

Xan turned his head to look suspiciously at Warlic. "What do you mean?" he asked rather aggressively. Meanwhile, Cysero just stared at everyone, especially Maya, with a look of intense interest and curiosity.

It was the Loremaster who answered. "I think it's time for me to introduce myself." As Serenity watched, not sure what to expect, the librarian suddenly transformed. In the teenage girl's place, there was now a tall and rather ageless-looking man who appeared to be an elf. He was wearing an oddly anachronistic dark gray suit, over a classy-looking purple vest and tie and a deep red shirt. The same pair of gray eyes, though somewhat narrowed and more cynical-looking now, stared at them from a thin face framed by long gray hair and two pointed elven ears.

"I am Falerin Ardendor," the elf who was obviously the same person as Maya declared. "Known by many as the Loremaster, and by others as a powerful deity of evil." He focused his eyes directly on Xan, who was looking somewhat taken aback but not remotely daunted. "Xan, I greatly respect your powers as a mage but you could not have challenged me and won."

"Hello, Falerin," Warlic said calmly. His tone, though formal, was that of greeting a friend he had known for years.

Cysero grinned, his eyes lighting up. "Oh, hi, Falerin! I didn't recognize you."

_The Pyronomicon has been in the hands of a god of evil?_ Serenity thought, stunned. _And this is what Warlic considers the safest place on Lore?_

"In his case," Warlic said, "the title of Loremaster does not merely refer to the keeping of knowledge and history in books. In a very real sense, Falerin is the master of the world of Lore itself."

"I suppose you could say so," Falerin replied gravely. "But I try not to abuse that power. I'm happier just being Maya, in this timeline at least." His body flickered and wavered for a second, then changed back to the appearance of the wide-eyed, studious young girl who had first greeted them. In Maya's voice, the Loremaster concluded, "You heroes should get your chance to shape the destiny of Lore on your own."

"We appreciate it," Warlic said. "Now, about the Pyronomicon. Xan is right, we do need to ask you to give it back. I know you must remember what happened to our classmate Jaania years ago."

"I do," Maya said. "She's still trapped in that crystal, correct?"

"Yes, she is!" Xan said fiercely. "That's what we need the Pyronomicon for. Cysero gave me and Warlic the idea of fueling a wind spell with its power." Facing off with Maya, he finished, "I'm not going to burn down more of the world with it. I just want to help Jaania. But if you don't believe me, I _will_ fight you!"

Serenity, looking at Maya and thinking about the things the librarian had said, was starting to get the idea that this particular god of evil was not really all that evil at all. Maya, or rather Falerin, just looked very skeptical and cautious right now.

"You should listen," Serenity said quietly. "Look, my laundry golem hasn't done anything to your books, even though you were afraid it would." She looked down at her pet, and it smiled up and her and gave a very responsible nod. Then Serenity looked back at Maya's face. "Xan did all those bad things because he was hurting so much. He's okay now. You can trust him... just like you can trust my laundry golem."

"Yeah," Cysero said. "Serenity's right. If Xan says he won't abuse the power of the Pyronomicon, then he'll keep that promise."

Maya stood quietly for a minute, obviously deep in consideration. Then she smiled at them. "All right," she said. "I believe all of you, and I won't be responsible for Jaania remaining trapped any longer. I will give the Pyronomicon back to you."

"Thank you," Warlic said.

Xan nodded curtly, then suddenly seemed to relax. Serenity realized that he had been standing in the same tense posture as when he'd been on fire, ever since Maya told them her true identity. "About that battle," he said to Maya. "I'd love to prove you wrong and defeat you right now, but we don't have time."

"Maybe after you and Warlic have freed Jaania," Maya said with a tiny smile. "A battle of Pyromancer versus deity will be an interesting challenge for both of us."

"Accepted," Xan said.

"So, where d'you have it?" Cysero asked, drawing everyone's attention. The wacky mage was looking at the books on Maya's library shelves, picking them up and checking their titles one after another.

"It is not in the library," Maya said. "Come, I will show you."

She carefully set her blue book down on the table behind her and then led them to a small door in the east wall of the room. Opening it, she went through and stepped aside for the party to follow.

On the other side of the door, Serenity saw that they must have entered the main tower that was built in and around the oak tree. White stone walls reached up about three times her height, but at that point they gave way to the living wood of the tree itself. This vast empty space, she thought, must be here because the tree was so majestically old. And this was what the human founders of Oaklore had been able to work with when they designed their stronghold. The effect was daunting and beautiful at the same time.

"Over here," Maya said simply. She pointed out a normal-looking door in the west half of the tower's back wall. "This is where I have stowed away the Pyronomicon.

"In here?" Serenity walked up to the door. A message appeared in the air in front of her eyes. _You must be Level 999 to enter the empty storage closet._

"That's right," Warlic said, totally unsurprised. "Falerin - the only person in all of Lore ever to have reached Level 999 - is the only person who can open or enter the closet, so the book is safe because Falerin can be trusted with it."

"Ingenious," Cysero said. For once, he seemed to be amazed out of making any longer comment.

By now, Xan was staring at the door with a burning focus. He looked as if he might start trying his fire spells to see about blasting a Xan-sized hole through the wood at any second.

"Don't waste your spells," Maya said. "I'll get the Pyronomicon." She walked quietly to the magically sealed door, lifted the metal ring handle, and opened it. As Maya walked through, Serenity saw a brief purple ripple in the air of the doorway. She suspected that even now, with it open, no one else really would be able to get in at all.

"Let's see..." she heard from inside the storage closet. "Not in here... no, this is not even a book! I know I put it right around here..."

_Just how empty __is__ this 'empty storage closet'?_ Serenity wondered.

"Aha!" Seconds later, Maya emerged triumphantly holding what had to be the Pyronomicon. It was a very large and slightly battered-looking bright red book, with yellow trim and flame-shaped patterns along the top and bottom. On the front of the book was a big round ruby, set in the middle of a large swooping orange and yellow flame design. A golden latch with a small keyhole held the tome firmly closed. The entire book was surrounded by a red and yellow glow of heat, and it seemed to be trying to float right out of the Loremaster's hands.

"Wow," Serenity said. She could literally feel the magical power of fire that seethed, barely contained, within the pages of that book.

"Here it is," Maya said steadily, handing the book to Xan. After a surprised instant, Serenity understood why the Loremaster had done it. _If she had handed the book to Warlic, it would have been like saying he had to babysit Xan with it. This way, Maya's proving that she believes Xan himself can be trusted._

Xan also seemed to understand. "I'll keep my word," he said. "Not that I would want to do anything else. Jaania is too important to me."

"And me as well," Warlic said. "We will do everything we can to free her, now that we have the Pyronomicon."

Maya shifted back into her true form as Falerin Ardendor once more. "I must warn you that, succeed or fail, the attempt will unleash magic so powerful that the book itself will be destroyed."

Xan and Warlic exchanged a look. "Meaning the danger of the book is removed from Lore..." Xan said.

"But also that we only get this one chance to free Jaania this way," Warlic finished.

The Loremaster nodded, then returned to the young girl Maya's appearance.

_She does look much more relaxed and at ease in this form,_ Serenity thought. _I guess being an evil deity could be a stressful job._

"Right," Maya said seriously. "I hope you can save her! Good luck!"

* * *

As if the griffin had known the exact moment they would need him, he flew into sight and arrowed down out of the sky just as they were leaving Oaklore Keep's central tree-tower.

"Right on schedule, then!" the feathered creature said brightly. "Hop on!"

"Thank you for coming back," Warlic said politely as he, Cysero, Serenity, and her laundry golem all climbed on board. Xan stood back a pace, out of the way of the griffin's sweeping wings. He was still holding the Pyronomicon as if no force in all of Lore could take it from his hands.

"No trouble at all," the travel griffin assured them. "It's what I do, because I love doing it. Now, where to?"

"If you'll just drop us back off at Falconreach, that'll be perfect," Cysero said. "We can take the portal from there."

"Sure thing," the griffin said, and took off. Below them, Xan cast his teleportation spell again and disappeared from sight.


	11. Save Jaania!

Chapter 11: Save Jaania!

Author's Note: I'm dedicating this chapter to my devoted readers in the Philippines. I'm not sure who you are, but chapter after chapter I keep seeing a handful of story hits from that country. Anyway, you know - if you don't feel confident at writing in English or something, I happily accept reviews with just a smiley-face! :) I'd love to hear from you after you've been following my story for so long.

Everybody who DOES speak and write English well: I love you all too and I'm grateful for the attention, but why so few reviews compared to the number of people who are reading this? Please say something! =D

* * *

"I just realized something," Cysero said, after the friendly griffin had dropped off his passengers at the main crossroads of Falconreach in front of Serenity's Inn.

"What's that?" Serenity asked.

"I'm going to have to stay here. My magical energies are too unpredictable. I can't risk being anywhere nearby when Xan and Warlic try the spell to free Jaania. I could throw the whole thing completely out of balance... just by standing there."

Warlic gave Cysero a thoughtful look. "You may be right. And if there is any risk of something like that happening... Thank you, Cysero. I know you would want to be there."

"Don't worry about it!" Cysero told him, with a thumbs-up and a confident grin. "Just go meet up with Xan and cast that wind magic to rescue Jaania. I'll go back to the tower and... clean up my room or something."

He turned to Serenity. "I'll take care of your laundry golem, too. Laundry doesn't do very well in the wind."

Serenity saw his point. "No, I guess it doesn't!" Kneeling down to look into her magical friend's bright button eyes, she said, "You go with Cysero, all right?"

With a somewhat pouting rustle, the laundry golem reluctantly let go of Serenity's hand, then ran to Cysero and hugged him around the legs. Turning back, it gave Serenity a worried look as she stood up. _Take care of yourself!_ its eyes said clearly.

"Serenity," Cysero said at the same time, looking straight into her face with a very serious expression now. "Please watch out for Xan and Warlic for me."

"I will," Serenity promised them both. Then she looked at Warlic.

"Let's go!" the Innkeeper and the archmage both said at the same second.

* * *

As the two mages appeared in front of the magical portal near Lymcrest and Xan's fortress, Serenity saw Xan sitting crosslegged on the grass a few paces to the east. He was holding the Pyronomicon open flat across his lap, turning pages and apparently checking some things in the text with a look of very deep and also very hurried concentration.

"Right, this page," Xan was saying. He obviously hadn't noticed Serenity and Warlic's arrival at all.

With a quick glance at each other, the two of them stood quietly and simply waited for the Pyromancer to finish his research. A few minutes later, he looked up and saw them. "Warlic, Serenity," he greeted them. "Where's Cysero?"

"He stayed behind," Warlic said. "He was concerned that his random magic might disrupt our spells."

Xan nodded. Closing the magical tome, he stood up. "He's probably right. Well, anyway, I've figured out what I needed to know. I'll be able to use the Pyronomicon to create a wind spell now."

Warlic smiled, his eyes bright with hope. "That's great, Xan! I'll be casting the most powerful wind spell I can, as well. I will need to be spellcasting in order to generate the mana you will need, and it makes sense to direct as much wind magic as we can towards the crystal."

As the two powerful archmages discussed their plan, Serenity stood there feeling increasingly anxious. She had not wanted to think about the terrible danger that Warlic was putting himself in, but now she couldn't help it. _What if he really dies?_

That concern, though, was obviously the farthest thing from Warlic's mind right now. "After all these years, Xan," he was saying in an absolutely earnest voice, "we finally have a real chance to save Jaania!"

"Yes, we do," Xan agreed, his own voice tense with hope. "All right, I'll lead the way to where Jaania is waiting. It isn't far from here." He turned to the northeast and led them quickly into a green forested area. They followed a grassy path for several moments, twisting and turning occasionally but mostly heading straight northeast. Soon, the trees thinned and then fell behind them altogether. Less than a dozen steps after that, the grass gave way to smooth gray stone beneath their feet and all around.

_I recognize this area,_ Serenity thought. _This looks like the same kind of terrain as the area around Xan's fortress, but we must be coming at it from a different direction._

A short distance in front of them, she saw a tall gray cliff face with two or three jagged points of rock standing well above her own height up from the ground in front of it. To the left, there was a mystical wind symbol inscribed on the stone of the cliff. And to the right, a strongly-burning torch stood at the top of a carved stone pillar that was almost as tall. Looking up, Serenity saw the cliff rising into a tall, gray cone-shaped mountain. At the summit, a plume of deep gray smoke rose slowly into the air. _This must be Xan's volcano,_ she thought.

"Mt. Shining Star," Warlic said as they walked up to the stone wall of the mountain. "Your fortress is on the other side, isn't it, Xan?"

"My fortress is underneath the entire mountain," Xan answered with obvious pride in his voice. "This is a secret entrance, leading directly to the cave where Jaania stands."

Warlic shook his head, seeming both amazed and chagrined. "All the times I've walked past here," he said softly, "and I never knew."

Serenity watched with interest as Xan simply waved his left hand in a small half-circle in front of the wall at shoulder height. A small red light appeared in the stone at the precise spot his hand had moved past, and there were a few small quizzical-sounding beeps. Then the light blinked green, and the stone of the cliff face disappeared in a big arch-shaped section.

As the three mages stepped inside, Serenity saw that they were in a truly enormous cave. It was a warm, light brown color, and there seemed to be many holes and openings in the ceiling high above, because the entire place was flooded with almost as much light as the outdoors. There was no sign of lava in this cave; the air was comfortably warm like the air on a bright summer day, but that was the only thing that made it feel like a part of a volcano.

"Oh!" Serenity gasped softly, as she suddenly saw Jaania. The young mage was standing a little way ahead of them, inside of the big iridescent crystal that had held her captive for so very long.

"Jaania!" Warlic choked out her name. "I haven't seen you in years..." It was not an accusation against Xan, just a statement of fact and a candid expression of deep, shattering emotion.

Serenity was astonished. She had never imagined hearing such an intense outward demonstration of feeling from him. But then, if anything could make Warlic react this strongly, surely this was it. _And it's true,_ Serenity thought. _He must not have seen Jaania since that day when Xan teleported away from Swordhaven with her._

Warlic walked quickly forward, with Xan and Serenity right behind him, to stand just in front of Jaania. He looked as if he wanted to reach right into the transparent stone and hug her, but instead he stood very still. His posture was almost more poised and composed than Serenity had ever seen it, and she had a very strong feeling that this was a sign of truly intense emotion.

"I don't know if you are aware of my voice," he said in a tone that blazed with understated feeling, "but please forgive me! I never, never meant for you to get trapped like this." He paused, obviously unable to speak for a moment, then went on, "Xan and I are going to try to free you now. I really believe it will work. But if it doesn't - Jaania, _never_ give up hope! You will never be abandoned or forsaken, I swear it to you."

"And me," Xan said, stepping up to stand beside Warlic on the Blue Mage's right.

Serenity took a step forward herself, facing Jaania at Warlic's other side. "Me too," she said firmly. "And I know Cysero won't ever give up, either."

Then she looked at Xan and Warlic. "Is it time for your spell?" she asked.

"Yes," Xan said simply. He took the Pyronomicon out from under his arm, held it up, and released it in midair. The magical book floated free, bouncing up sharply and then settling into a slow up-and-down bobbing motion a few feet away to Xan's right.

Serenity abruptly realized that she was about to be, literally and physically, in the way. She beat a hasty retreat to a spot about twenty paces off to the left.

Meanwhile, Warlic was setting himself in a very braced pose, with his feet somewhat apart and his shoulders even straighter than usual. Under his left arm, he still held the gently glowing blue-green orb that seemed to go everywhere with him. His right hand closed into a determined fist, then opened again in a very controlled, relaxed position.

A loud sound of fire caught Serenity's attention. She looked toward the Pyronomicon, and she saw it almost seeming to literally erupt into flames. The book was still there, but the glowing light that always surrounded it had burst forth into a roaring fire. Reaching two or three feet out from the book in all directions, the flames formed a fierce, seething globe of coiling heat.

"Now?" Xan asked.

"Now," Warlic said. Then, at the same instant, they both began to cast their spells.

Warlic's wind spell was as powerful as anything Serenity had ever imagined, slamming into the giant crystal with the force of a living tornado. The sheer force of the archmage's magic was amazing enough to take Serenity's breath away.

Xan's spell, fueled by Warlic's constantly regenerating mana, was incredible. It roared and howled around the cavern, nearly drowning out the crackling, blazing sound of the jagged sphere of flames that surrounded the floating Pyronomicon. Xan stood with his right hand raised in a clawlike position as if he was grasping the air itself. With a look of absolutely fierce concentration on his face, he channeled the energy of the different air temperatures into his spell.

Jaania's prison rocked as the two massive spells blasted against it. Small chips of bright crystal flaked off of its surface and flew away in all directions.

A sudden, tense shout from Warlic grabbed Serenity's attention. It was not a cry of victory, she realized as her eyes snapped towards him; the Blue Mage's body was shaking terribly under the force of the mana that was passing through it. Between his own spellcasting and Xan's drain on his mana points, Warlic looked literally ready to shake apart.

_Oh no!_ Serenity thought. _It's what Cysero warned me about! His body can't take it!_ She took a step towards him, but quickly stopped herself. _I can't interfere with their spell! This could be Jaania's only chance._ She realized that tears were pouring down her face, and she blinked hard to clear her vision. She found she could hardly stand the idea of Warlic being killed, especially after the world of Lore had almost lost him once before during Nythera's conflict with the Elementals. But she also knew that he was ready to give up his life if he had to in order to rescue Jaania, and she understood that neither he nor Xan would want things any different if that was what it came to.

The whole cavern was starting to shake now, tiny bits of dirt and stone falling from the ceiling all around. Below the rushing sound of the two great wind spells, and Warlic's continuing yell, Serenity started to hear a deep rumbling sound. Then a flash of light and heat drew her attention, as the Pyronomicon exploded in a burst of red flame.

Alarmed, Serenity recalled Falerin's warning about the book being destroyed. _Then this is it, one way or the other -_

A second later, there was a massive explosion from the direction of the crystal and Jaania. Clouds of dust billowed outward to fill the air, and Serenity was knocked backward off her feet to land flat on the ground. The last thing she saw through the thick, flying dust was a glimpse of Xan and Warlic being thrown back as well; they had actually been lifted off the ground and flung through the air by the blast.

Serenity sat up, looking around, as the dust quickly settled again. Xan, obviously very weak, was quickly picking himself up to a standing position. Warlic, meanwhile, was sitting on the floor with a rather dazed expression on his face and making no effort to move further just yet.

_He's safe!_ Serenity thought, relieved almost beyond words. Only then did she realize that she was shaking with the deep fear she'd been feeling for Warlic.

"So this is what it feels like to have no mana points," Warlic said weakly. "Incredible..." Then he seemed to realize what was happening. "Jaania?"

"Warlic? And Xan?"

Serenity recognized the voice, even though she had never heard it in person. It was Jaania!

Standing just where the crystal had been, still holding her two books from school, Jaania looked very surprised to be surrounded by _air_ again. Serenity saw her breathe in once, then slowly out again, seeming amazed and stunned by the feeling. But most of Jaania's attention was obviously on the two mages who had just freed her. She didn't even seem to have noticed Serenity yet at all.

_And why should she?_ the Innkeeper-mage thought. _They're__ the ones who saved her._

Xan and Warlic, meanwhile, were staring at Jaania with two matching expressions of shock and joy.

"Jaania," Xan said finally. "You're alive...!"

Then Warlic seemed to find his voice. "We never knew for sure," he said. "But you're okay... and Jaania, you're finally free!"

"Yes," the young woman said, then paused in evident astonishment at hearing her own voice speaking aloud. She looked at Warlic, then her eyes went to Xan and widened in sudden joy.

"Xan, you're all right!" Jaania's voice was flooded with relief. Suddenly, she seemed to realize that she was able to move again. Taking one hesitant step and then another, she started toward Xan and then broke into a run. She stopped in front of him and took his hand in her own, visibly marvelling at the fact that he wasn't in pain.

"You knew?" Xan seemed newly surprised by this. "You knew about me being on fire?"

"Yes, I saw what happened after your duel," Jaania said to both him and Warlic. "I was aware of pretty much everything for the first several days, then it started to fade." Tears stood in her wise purple eyes, then overflowed. Unashamed, she let them fall to the ground. "I couldn't imagine which one of you might be in more pain. But really, I think you were both hurting just as terribly. Oh, I'm so glad it's all over now!"

Serenity could tell that Jaania was talking about Xan and Warlic's pain, not her own years of imprisonment.

"I've seen some of what has happened over the years since," Jaania continued, "but mostly it's been kind of like being unconscious, I guess. I've only been aware for a little while, now and then. The last thing I knew, Cysero and Serenity had just started planning their part in all this." She looked at Serenity with an expression of sincere appreciation. "I know that Adventuring is not your usual style," she said. "Thank you so much for everything you must have been doing for us!"

"You're welcome," Serenity answered. "I couldn't help it."

A vast, harsh crunching sound interrupted their conversation. It was coming from all over the cave at once, especially the ceiling. Looking up, Serenity saw a network of cracks starting to form and widen in the brown rock above. Then she almost lost her footing as the cave lurched hard.

"The entire cavern's collapsing!" she exclaimed in sudden fright, as pieces of stone bigger than her own head started to break loose from the ceiling and fall to the floor all around the four mages. "Everything's shaking loose! The wind spells must have done it. We have to get out of here! Let's go, _now!_" She pointed urgently toward the exit, several dozen paces away.

Jaania, Warlic, and Xan gave Serenity a quick glance of agreement, and they all started running for the doorway. It quickly became clear, though, that Xan and Warlic were having a hard time keeping up. They were both unsteady on their feet, their movements much slower and less coordinated than was usual for them.

_They're exhausted!_ Serenity realized. _They must have used up __everything__ in those spells._

Just at that moment, a huge stalactite started to break loose from the ceiling above the escaping mages. With a shout of alarm, Jaania ran out of the way. Xan and Serenity also jumped aside - but Warlic didn't.

The Blue Mage seemed to be too tired to even notice the danger at first. When he did look up, his eyes widened in alarm and confusion. Trying to scramble out of the way of the teetering, precariously hanging stalactite, he tripped and fell just beneath it in a heap of long blue robes and soft white hair.

Xan glanced at Warlic, and for an instant his face held a look of savage triumph. Then he snapped his head around to look at Jaania. With an expression too complicated for Serenity to even begin to figure out, he turned again and flung himself toward Warlic. Bending down to grab a double handful of the back of Warlic's robes, he tried to throw the Blue Mage out of harm's way.

But Xan himself was too worn out to manage even that right, and he just fell down on top of Warlic. Now, the jagged stone spike was about to fall and strike them both.

"NO!" Jaania screamed, turning to run back towards them. But it looked as if Xan and Warlic would surely be crushed before she could arrive.

Serenity, of course, like the Adventurer she was, ran to throw herself on top of them both.

_What am I doing?_ Serenity thought in terror. _My body will never be enough to shield them -_

_Shield!__ That's it!_ The name of her simplest spell appeared in her mind like a lifeline to save all three of them. "Arcane Shield!" Serenity gasped aloud, as the massive stalactite fell from the ceiling above them.

Serenity heard Jaania's cry of sudden, desperate hope a second before the falling stone missile slammed into her shield. Crashing against the blue magical barrier, the stalactite broke and splintered into hundreds of pieces. Serenity felt a sharp piece stabbing into her upper left arm, and several small impacts from other, rounded pieces of the stone, but mostly her spell protected her and the other two mages.

A brief moment later, the mass of falling stone settled to the ground. Not a second too soon, Serenity's Arcane Shield disappeared. Shaken, she felt a hand grabbing her right arm and pulling her up.

"Come on!" Jaania said urgently. "We have to get them out of here!" Working together, they got the tired and very disoriented Warlic and Xan to their feet.

Led and helped along by Jaania and Serenity, the dazed archmages headed for the cave's exit at a stumbling run. Behind them, the ceiling itself was actually starting to collapse and fall. Serenity couldn't help shooting a quick glance back, and her heart almost slammed its way out of her chest as she saw the crushing cascade of stone that followed just a single step behind them.

"Hurry!" Serenity yelled, sharing a terrified look with Jaania, and Warlic and Xan somehow put on an extra burst of speed. Two steps ahead of the falling stone now, the four of them raced for the archway that would lead to safety.

There were only half a dozen steps to go. Suddenly, Jaania sprinted ahead and ran alone to the exit.

_What?_ Serenity thought in disbelief. But at Jaania's magical shout an instant later, the young Innkeeper understood. Pointing her right hand furiously at the upper part of the collapsing rock curtain behind the other three, Jaania summoned a blasting wind spell of her own. The power of that howling magic held the rocks at bay just long enough for Serenity to all but push her two exhausted charges out the door.

Worn out herself, Serenity stumbled and almost fell. Jaania grabbed her by the hand and yanked her outside too, just as the wall of rocks fell right across the doorway and sealed off the cave completely.

Xan and Warlic ran on their own for another several paces, then fell to their hands and knees side by side on the rocky ground. Serenity and Jaania hurried to meet them.

_Wow,_ Serenity thought. _I can't believe what I just saw! Xan saved Warlic!_

Jaania was obviously thinking about the very same thing. Stopping in front of Xan, she looked at him questioningly. Her expression was grateful, but also a little confused. "Xan? Why?"

Xan looked up at her. His body was still shaking with the absolute fatigue of an exhausted mage, but his eyes were filled with power and conviction. "I couldn't let you lose someone you care about," he said, his voice achingly sincere. "I know how much that hurts. Knowing that you were trapped, all these years... it was worse than the fires around me. I couldn't let you end up having to feel that same pain for Warlic now."

Jaania closed her eyes and stood very still for a moment. Then she looked at Xan again and smiled. "Thank you, Xan," she said in a tone of heartfelt gratitude. "And you, Serenity," she added, speaking to the Innkeeper now. "I saw you putting yourself in harm's way to save them. If you hadn't done that, and if you hadn't thought of using your shield spell, we would have lost them both. You're clearly a very resourceful mage."

"Yes," Warlic agreed. He seemed to be starting to get his mental bearings again. "Serenity, Xan, thank you both for saving me. I'm sorry my clumsiness put you in danger."

Serenity stared at him. "You're exhausted!" she said. "What did you expect? You're lucky you didn't die!"

Jaania looked at Warlic in alarm, then shot a quick glance at Serenity. "What do you mean?"

Serenity realized that Jaania didn't know any of what had happened at the cave before she was freed. "I'll explain," she said quietly. "Let's give Xan and Warlic a minute to recover. Come on." She led the other young woman a little distance away, and they sat down side by side on a smooth, rounded gray boulder.

Speaking concisely, Serenity told Jaania the overview of what had happened during the quests of that day and the day before. She explained about the Pyronomicon and the wind spells, Xan's new willingness to trust Warlic and join forces with him, and how Warlic had volunteered to let his mana be used in addition to Xan's own for the Pyronomicon spell even though it might cost his life.

"Oh..." Jaania said, staring at Serenity. "I'm so glad he didn't die! I couldn't bear it if either of them came to harm for me." She looked down at the ground suddenly, her expression very sad. "Of course they already did, in that duel... but maybe they'll stop fighting like that now."

"I think so," Serenity told her. "I believe... it feels funny to say it, when they're both older than me, but I believe they've grown up now."

Quietly, Serenity told Jaania what Warlic had said to the imprisoned mage, vowing never to give up on trying to save her, just before he and Xan had cast their spells and freed her. "Xan promised too," she finished, "and so did I. And I said Cysero would always keep trying to help you, too."

Jaania smiled. "I've always known that. I have seen Xan and Warlic time after time, spending hours on end trying to think of ways to save me. And I know what kind of people you and Cysero are. You must both have been gving your all for this quest, too."

"They certainly have been." It was Warlic. He and Xan were walking up to meet the other two, still a little wobbly on their feet but looking much stronger after their brief rest. "Serenity is simply incredible, absolutely selfless and brave. And Cysero has been taking this whole thing so seriously you almost wouldn't believe it."

"I _would_, though," Jaania said as she and Serenity stood up. "Cysero is silly only when the situation allows it. In the times when things are really grave, he will focus all his heart and soul on finding a solution."

"Of course," Warlic said, and Xan nodded. Serenity smiled, knowing just how true Jaania's description of the wacky but deeply compassionate nature mage really was.

"Hey, Serenity!" Xan said suddenly, looking at her left arm. "You're hurt!"

"What?" Serenity was totally confused, not knowing what he meant. Then she looked down at her own arm and saw a little blood on the upper part of her sleeve. Red against her mage robes' brown fabric, it almost didn't show, but Serenity suddenly remembered how she had been struck by a sharp piece of the falling stalactite a little while ago.

"It's no big deal," she said. "But what about you guys? You must be really wiped out after casting those awesome wind spells. Wait - don't you have health potions?"

"We just drank them," Warlic answered. "Why do you think we're standing up straight?" He gave Xan a wry half-smile. "At least _you_ didn't fall down!" he said to his old friend.

Xan looked sharply at him, then smiled back. "Yeah, I did!" he said. "On top of you, remember?"

"That's different," Warlic said. "You were saving my life."

"Well, anyway," Xan said to Serenity, changing the subject, "we'll be okay until we get home and get some rest."

Serenity and Jaania exchanged a somewhat resigned look. _Tough guys..._ They both seemed to be thinking it at the same time.

"That's not good enough," Serenity decided. She reached back and pulled out her own potions from her backpack. Choosing the two red health potions, she held out one each to Xan and Warlic. "So what if I'm missing a little health?" she said. "You both need these more than I do."

Warlic and Xan looked like they were about to protest, but Jaania put her hands on her hips and gave them a very stern look. "Don't you dare be this tough," she said. "You both just about wore yourselves into the ground saving me. Do as the nice Innkeeper says!"

For once, the Blue Mage and the Pyromancer seemed to really register Jaania's disapproval. With a chastised look on each of their faces, they accepted the potions from Serenity and drank them. Immediately, they both looked even stronger again.

"Now, what about mana potions?" Serenity asked them. "Do you have those?"

Warlic shrugged. "I never carry mana potions. I don't need them."

"I drank mine while I was waiting for you to arrive from Falconreach," Xan said. "I knew I wouldn't have time while Warlic and I were casting our spells, and I decided to make sure I had as much mana ready as possible before we started."

"Then you can each have one of these," Serenity said, holding up her two bottles of swirling blue potions. "I certainly didn't use up any mana to speak of!"

"No, you only cast one spell," Jaania said, her voice soft with gratitude. "And I'll never forget that, Serenity."

Embarrassed, Serenity couldn't think of an answer. "Well, here you go," she said, offering the mana potions to Warlic and Xan.

"No thanks," Warlic said with a rather adorable smile. "This is the first time in my life that I've been totally out of mana points, and it's really kind of relaxing. I plan to enjoy it for a while longer. Besides, I can always meditate or drink a mana potion anytime I do need to cast a spell, so it's no risk. I won't be caught defenseless."

"Okay," Serenity said, smiling back. It was nice to see Warlic looking almost carefree like this! "That sounds reasonable. So I guess you can have both of these, Xan."

"Thanks," Xan said. He took a mana potion in each hand and drank them one after the other. His eyes seemed to light up a bit with the restored magical energy he must be feeling. Suddenly he grinned. "You know, you're always handing me awfully nice beverages, Serenity!" he said, and Serenity could hear bright laughter behind his words. "First iced water, and now all these potions!" Then he actually laughed, not the crazed sound that had torn at Serenity's heart before but real, normal, happy laughter.

"Iced water?" Jaania asked in merry confusion, then started laughing herself. "Never mind, I'll find out -" she managed to say before her voice was completely overtaken by laughter.

Caught by the mood, Serenity and Warlic started laughing too. Serenity felt that all the stress and fear of the terrible situations they'd been facing were just melting away. It was a truly wonderful feeling, especially because she was able to share it with her new friends.

_Not all my new friends,_ she thought suddenly. _Cysero still doesn't know. But it's okay, we'll tell him soon. He'll be so happy!_

When the laughter finally slowed to a stop, Jaania gave Xan and Warlic a thoughtful look. "I've been thinking. Serenity told me how you broke me out of that crystal. Both of you together, and with the Pyronomicon's magic - That was truly incredible."

"It was Cysero's idea," Xan said.

"Right," Warlic agreed. "He was the one who thought of using heat to create wind magic."

Jaania shook her head. "It was more than Cysero's idea."

"What do you mean?" Warlic asked.

Looking at Xan, Serenity could see that he didn't know either. But Serenity herself thought she might be starting to realize what Jaania was talking about.

"You were both right," Jaania said. Her voice held a very deep wisdom and an equally deep, glowing pride for both of them. "Xan, you always believed it was the Pyronomicon that would free me. Warlic, you knew that you and Xan would have to work together."

"It's true!" Serenity said, as the two archmages exchanged a startled glance. "All you had to do was follow _both_ of your ideas at once, and it worked!"

"It certainly did," Warlic said. "I still almost can't believe you're free!"

"Me neither," Xan said, with the same happiness in his voice that Warlic's held.

* * *

"I've decided I'm going to take a break from spellcasting," Warlic said a few minutes later, "and spend some time learning to be a Ranger with Robina. I've always wanted to try out a bow and arrows, and this seems like the perfect time."

"I'm going to study ice magic," Xan said. "I really had fun a few Frostvals ago when I was Xanta Claus." He grinned. "It'll be a real challenge, but that's okay by me. Ice magic is just so different from what I know!" His face took on a slightly distracted look, as he seemed to be thinking back to that Frostval. "I think I can improve on the Ice Needles spell I learned from the EggNogonomicon."

"You're both going to have an awesome time!" Jaania replied to both of them with a big grin.

"What about you, Jaania?" Serenity asked her. "What will you do now that you're free?"

"I'm definitely going back to mage school!" Jaania said with a bright, eager look in her eyes. "I still have so much to learn!"

Looking at Warlic and Xan, Serenity realized that there was another very big question that neither of them had asked. _In fact,_ she thought, _there's a very good chance that they never will until Jaania herself says something._

Jaania glanced at her, and Serenity knew the other young woman understood as well. _It's time for me to speak up,_ her eyes seemed to say.

"I know you both love me," Jaania said, looking seriously at Xan and Warlic. Then her face turned sad. "I just wish that hadn't led to so much pain for everyone..."

Xan and Warlic both looked straight at Jaania's face. They didn't say a word, but Serenity thought they both looked very tense. They also seemed to be feeling more than a little guilty, remembering the way their teenaged rivalry had led to the pain that Jaania spoke of.

_Who will she choose?_ Serenity wondered. _Will she even choose either of them? She might be far too angry..._

"I could never be angry at either of you," Jaania said, dismissing Serenity's unspoken concern just as it was forming in her mind. "And you've already been hurt so much, both of you! Teenage recklessness should _never_ come with so very high a cost!" She shook her head, clearly still deeply dismayed by the memory of what her two suitors had been through even now that it was over.

Then she took a step toward Xan, looking straight into his eyes and speaking very seriously.

"Xan... I always wanted to love you, but I knew I could never love an evil man. But now... You just risked your own life to save someone I know you've hated for years, even though you knew that if Warlic lived I might choose to love him instead of you." Jaania smiled brilliantly, her eyes filling with tears. "That was an act of real love, not selfishness. An evil person could not possibly have done it."

Serenity watched, speechless, as Jaania turned to face Warlic. "My dear Warlic," the freed young woman said softly. "You are a wonderful man and an absolutely awe-inspiring mage. You will always be very, very dear to me." She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him warmly. Behind her, Xan simply stared, his moss-green eyes overflowing with hopelessness right alongside the deep joy that had not faded since Jaania's prison broke.

Then Jaania stepped away from Warlic. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Warlic nodded once. His eyes were sad, but understanding, and his face held a small, calm smile. He did not look the least bit surprised.

Jaania spun back to face Xan and grabbed both his hands, her face beaming as she looked up into his shocked eyes. "Xan," she said simply, "I love you."

Xan stared at her for a heartbeat, then threw his arms around her and held her close. Laughing, he spun them both around until Jaania's feet and legs flew up into the air. A second later he stopped, setting her down again but still holding her tightly in his arms. "Jaania, my own love..." He shook his head, his face filled with wonder and joy. "I don't know what else to say."

"You don't need to," Jaania answered, her own arms hugging Xan back with all her might. "At least not now. Mages live very long lives. We'll have thousands of years to say anything we'd like to each other."

Serenity found herself grinning wildly, as tears of joy poured down her face. _Cysero was right!_ she thought. _Everything is all right now._

Quietly, Serenity walked up to Warlic and put a hand on his shoulder. The Blue Mage turned his face at once to look at her. He still looked a bit lonely, but his gentle lavender eyes were alight with happiness for his two friends.

"Yes? What is it, Serenity?" he inquired in his usual soft, formal tone. It seemed that Lore's reserved archmage had already decided it was time for his life to start going back to business as usual.

"We should go back and tell Cysero all about this," Serenity said. Cysero deserved to know right away that his plan to help his friends had worked! Besides, she had a feeling it would only make Warlic sadder if he stayed here with Xan and Jaania any longer right now.

Warlic nodded, and the look of quiet appreciation he gave her made Serenity think that he had guessed everything that was in her mind. "Yes, you're right," he said. "The portal that brought us here will take us back to Falconreach." Raising a hand in farewell, he raised his voice slightly and said, "Xan, Jaania... I am glad for you both. Good luck!"

Jaania looked back over her shoulder at Warlic and Serenity. "Thank you both, for everything," she said. "And please thank Cysero for me, too."

"Yes," Xan said, still holding Jaania as if he might never let her go. "I never imagined I'd say anything like this, but... I owe everything in the world to the three of you." He looked down for an instant, his eyes showing a sudden flash of deep guilt. "And... Warlic, would you tell the people of Lymcrest that I am deeply sorry for what I've done to them? I'll go and tell them myself, soon, but they should hear it from you first. They'll be more likely to believe it, that way. They trust you... they have no reason to trust me."

"Of course," Warlic said. "I will explain everything to your townspeople." Then, followed by Serenity, he walked quickly and purposefully away towards the magic portal that stood just around the corner of one of the nearby gray stone hills.

* * *

A few minutes later, Warlic and Serenity appeared next to the portal that stood on the Guardian Tower's hill just north of Falconreach. Warlic had been acting very professional during the journey, but now his shoulders drooped slightly and he looked down at the grass. He looked sad and very, very tired.

Serenity's heart almost broke to see the kind archmage so unhappy in spite of his selfless joy for Xarymandias and Jaania. Shyly, hesitantly, she reached out and took one of his hands. "Don't be so sad, Warlic," she said quietly, as the Blue Mage looked at her, seeming almost apologetic now for showing her his sadness. "You'll find someone, someday."

Looking into Serenity's concerned eyes, Warlic suddenly smiled. "Yes," he said. "Maybe I will."

* * *

"So it really worked?" Cysero asked, his face shining with happiness. "That's great!" He was overjoyed to find that his faith in Xan and Warlic and Serenity had been fulfilled. _But then, I never really doubted it... That's what faith __is__,_ he thought.

Beside him, Twilly the orange Moglin healer jumped up and down with excitement. "Twillies is so happy!" he declared enthusiastically. He had arrived a little while before Warlic and Serenity, and had decided to stay to keep Cysero company and to wait for news of Jaania and the others with him.

"It's great!" Warlic said, and his own face was beaming with honest joy. "Jaania is finally free, and she and Xan are so happy..."

Looking carefully at his roommate, Cysero thought he saw a certain sadness underneath that sincere joy. "So she chose Xan, did she?" he asked sympathetically. "Warlic - I know you love her too."

"It's all right," Warlic answered him, shaking his head a little. "I do love Jaania, but I'll be honored to love her as a friend now."

Serenity glanced at Warlic with a flash of deep sympathy in her eyes. Again, Cysero thought he saw something more that wasn't quite obvious. _She's really starting to care about him,_ the wacky mage thought. _And I know that Warlic thinks very highly of her, too. I wonder._

Curled up in the white plastic laundry basket right next to Cysero, Serenity's Fire-Resistant Laundry Golem rustled and stirred from the restless, worried nap it had been taking. Looking up and seeing Serenity, it sprang upright with a look of relief and joy.

"Hey, little guy!" Serenity said in happy greeting as she saw it too.

The laundry golem squealed and jumped all the way up to Serenity's shoulders, wrapping itself right around her neck like a scarf.

"Wow, you were really worried about me, weren't you?" Serenity asked it, rubbing it affectionately behind its floppy head. Cysero was glad that the pet had such a wonderful new mother.

"I know!" Twilly said suddenly. "Now that things are better and everybody's so happy, you can all be the Guests of Honor at this year's Frostval celebration! It'll be really really fun - I bet almost everybody in Lore will be there!"

Cysero laughed in open joy, giving Twilly an exuberant thumbs-up of agreement. "They probably will!"

* * *

Author's Note: There's still one chapter left to go! Stay tuned - "Chapter 12: Party in Frostvale" will be like the Reward section of this quest! (The cutscene variety, not an item shop of course!) :D


	12. Peace and Joy

Chapter 12: Peace and Joy

Author's Note: So much I know! Last chapter, I said there would only be one more. Now, it's turned out that I've got this chapter plus my NEXT chapter, which is looking very likely to be a two-parter. As my sister Razzle puts it, I've Gotten Excited. =D Well, I can't blame myself. Getting to tell this part of the story, where everyone's HAPPY, is so much fun!

The first two scenes of this chapter, I didn't expect to write at all. I just thought of them recently and HAD to include them. And before I knew it, this became a chapter unto itself _before_ the Frostval one. :)

When I post the Frostval chapter, which I'm partway through writing already, it'll either be Chapter 13 or Chapters 13 AND 14. If I split it up, it'll be marked "Party in Frostvale: PART ONE" and "Party in Frostvale: PART TWO" in the chapter titles. So don't miss the first half of it, okay?

It's been a year and five days since I posted the first chapter of this fanfic - and now it's nearly complete! Thanks so much to all of you who have been reading it all this time, and for NOT losing interest when I vanished and didn't update for eight months. I never expected my fic to get this popular!

Now you know, on that note, there are a lot of other truly awesome fanfics here in the DragonFable setting that don't have very many reviews yet. I'm really grateful and happy for all the reviews I'm getting, and I do hope you keep leaving them - even years from now, I will still be delighted every time I see a new review show up (and I'll always do my best to reply, however shamefully slow I may be at that sometimes). But please ALSO go leave some reviews on other people's fics TOO! They really, really deserve them, and you can totally make someone's day with a few words letting them know that what they wrote interested you and/or reached your heart. Especially that last, I think.

Speaking of reviews: Whoops! Thank you, T.J. Nightshade: your review made me realize that I've never actually said in this fic how old I think the characters are. Yikes! - to me, Warlic is definitely NOT 5000. I did go and find that wiki article you mentioned, and it does say he's that old, but it doesn't say why THEY think so. Either way, that idea doesn't go with my fic at all. So, here's my take on the ages of my five main characters:

Cysero, Xan, Jaania, and Warlic's current age: 42

Their age when they were at magic school, and Jaania's current physical age: 17

Serenity's current age: 23

Now for something totally fantastic. Razzle has done me the very great honor of writing two beautiful poems to go along with my fic! She's posted them already, so do yourself a huge favor by reading them: "Evergreen Eyes" and "Amethyst Eyes". They're a very sweet and awesome pair of short POV poems, one from Jaania to Xan and the other from Xan to Jaania. Yay! *Lysana's eyes turn into big pink hearts*

As Razzle says in her summary for "Evergreen Eyes": Xan X Jaania FOREVER!

* * *

Later that same day, Professor Berith was sitting in her office at Swordhaven Magic Academy, taking care of some paperwork, when she heard a voice calling from her open doorway.

"Professor? May we come in?"

It was a man's voice, warm and powerful, and one she didn't immediately recognize. _But there is something so familiar -_

Berith looked up and instantly knew the two people she was looking at. Her heart felt about to explode with joyful disbelief as she saw them both standing there hand in hand, safe and obviously happy.

"Xan! Jaania!" Berith exclaimed, jumping up from her chair behind her desk and not caring that papers went flying everywhere. She ran right around the desk and only stopped when another step would have meant bowling right into her two long-lost students. Reaching out, she grabbed their free hands and squeezed them warmly for a moment in greeting. "My dears, you're back!"

Behind them, a beaming Professor Danlin came into view. "That's right!" he said. "They just walked in the front door of the admissions building a few minutes ago. I almost fell down when I saw them!"

"I can imagine...!" Berith replied.

Looking at the two young people, she said, "It's been so terrible, worrying for both of you over the past twenty-five years. Jaania, I really thought we'd never see you free again! And Xan... I cried every time I heard of something cruel you had done, because I knew it only meant you were in so much pain that you couldn't hear what your heart was saying to you." She smiled, shaking her head, before Jaania or Xan could say anything. "It's all right. I'm glad you're both safe now," she told them. "Thank you for coming back to visit and show us that!"

"We're not here to visit," Jaania said, smiling herself.

"What?" Professor Danlin asked, walking around to stand inside of Berith's office next to his colleague.

"Neither of us ever graduated," Jaania explained. "We'd both like to come back and study here again, if you'll let us."

"Is Professor Jeremy still here?" Xan asked. "I want to study ice magic, and he was always the best person to ask about elemental spells and powers. Actually, though, I think there's a lot more I can learn from all of you."

"Yes, he is still here!" Berith answered. Then she really caught up with what they had said. "You mean we still get to teach you?" she asked, feeling surprised and privileged and very happy.

Danlin, beside her, looked just as delighted. "It'll be an honor to have you both back as students!" he said. "I know Principal Vanessa and the other teachers will feel the same way. We've all missed you!"

Just then, one of the younger professors came hurrying up to the door of the office. "Berith?" she asked quietly. "Do you know where I can find -"

She broke off in surprise as Xan and Jaania turned to face her.

"Ellinie!" Jaania said, clearly startled.

Professor Berith suddenly remembered that Ellinie and Jaania had been roommates when they were both in school here. Now, the quiet and shy young Ellinie had become an equally quiet but very calmly confident professor, choosing to stay and teach magic at the same school where she had learned it.

Ellinie, standing there in her simple brown dress and holding a small stack of books in front of herself, blinked twice beneath her long, straight blond hair. "Jaania?" she said finally, as if she couldn't believe her own eyes. "It's got to be you! But how -?"

"Four very wonderful and determined mages saved me," Jaania answered. "Just this morning. We'll tell you the whole story soon. And Xan's okay too! We're coming back to school now. It's very exciting - I can't wait to start!"

Ellinie looked at Xan, seeming to recognize him now. "Xan! Now I'm even more surprised!" She turned back to Jaania. "You're right, you _will_ have to tell me the story!" she said.

Then, Berith saw an almost mischievous sparkle appear in Professor Ellinie's eyes. "You're going to be students again?" she asked. "Then I might be teaching you. I'm a Swordhaven professor now, you know."

"You are?" Jaania asked, sounding a little surprised. "No, I didn't know! That's wonderful, Ellinie. What do you teach?"

"You'll never believe it," Ellinie said. "I got the idea from Cysero, because he was always so disappointed that there wasn't a class for it already." She grinned. "Explosions!"

* * *

That night, just before heading for her own room to sleep, Berith went to look in on the students' conversation lounge near the dorm rooms, as she did every evening. As usual, she saw a few students scattered around the comfortable, homelike room, sitting on the couches and armchairs or in upright wooden chairs at the small round tables, where - invariably - some of the kids seemingly just HAD to stay up until all hours either studying or talking together. Berith and the other professors didn't see anything wrong with this, but she made it a personal habit to go and check on the students every night to make sure they would eventually go to bed and get some sleep.

"Hello," Berith said softly, as she walked into the room. Two or three young people looked up and smiled welcomingly at her.

"Oh, is it nighttime?" one of the students asked, seeming a little surprised. _Someone usually does!_ Berith thought in gentle amusement. _I guess when you're young, it's like that._

"Yes, Angeline," she said aloud to the girl, with a small smile. "It's late. I'm about to go to sleep myself."

Angeline stood up, closing her book and gathering her several loose sheets of paper and three or four small bags of magical herbs and things. "I'd better get to bed. Thanks for checking up on us, Professor Berith!"

"You're welcome, dears," Berith said, as Angeline and two other students headed out of the room.

Then Professor Berith saw something that made her smile from ear to ear. Seated on a soft, puffy sofa that stood against one wall were Xan and Jaania, sound asleep. They were snuggled up next to each other, with their arms wrapped right around each other in a very big hug. Jaania had her head cuddled on Xan's right shoulder, and the side of his face was leaning against the top of her head, with her long, soft hair falling across both of them like a curtain. The two young people were smiling in their sleep, with a look of total peace and radiant joy on each of their faces. Obviously they had fallen asleep like that, just sitting there together. Their deep love and happiness for each other were plain to see in every detail of the beautiful picture they made.

Berith stared at them, feeling as deeply protective as she always did towards all of her students, and grateful beyond words that they were safe now. She knew, with a feeling of joy and relief that truly completed the healing of this old wound in her heart, that Warlic must also be free of his pain now. The gentle boy who had grown into such a very gentle and wise man had _never_ deserved the terrible feelings of guilt he had so readily accepted for himself, she thought with a fierce rush of affection for him.

Still smiling, she remembered how the word had quickly spread all over Swordhaven Magic Academy after Xan and Jaania had showed up earlier. By the time all the students and professors had gone to dinner, there was a huge arched sign hanging over the cafeteria's doorway: "WELCOME BACK XAN AND JAANIA!" And she laughed a bit, recalling just how much dinner Jaania had eaten.

"I missed lunch years ago!" the young woman had declared, laughing brightly in the way that young people had of recovering so quickly from even the most painful experiences. With openly mischievous humor, Jaania had indicated the entire serving line filled with dishes and asked everyone, "What are the rest of you going to eat?"

Now, Professor Berith looked at the sleeping faces of her two returned students again. _They're so precious._ She decided that there was no reason they couldn't spend the night here. Walking quietly to one of the ornate, cozy armchairs, she pulled loose the throw blanket that was tucked over the back of it. Then she went over to where Xan and Jaania were sitting asleep on the sofa, and very gently and quietly covered them both with the blanket.

They didn't stir. Stepping back, Berith quietly turned around and headed for the door leading out of the room.

_I'm so very, very glad they're finally all right._

* * *

Several months later, it was almost time for the Frostval celebration in the Moglin town of Frostvale to begin. All of Lore was filled with bright music and excited scurrying, as people all over the world ran back and forth making preparations to attend the Moglins' party or hold one of their own.

On that cheerful snowy morning in Falconreach, Serenity waited excitedly by the front counter at her Inn. Her pet laundry golem sat perched on the counter next to her, as it had taken to doing soon after it first came to live with her.

There was a merry ringing from the small bells that Serenity had hung from the door of her Inn for the season. The door swung open, and the Innkeeper's face broke into a big smile as Warlic walked through. He was the one whose arrival she'd been waiting for; he had asked her several weeks ago to come to the Frostval party with him, and she had delightedly agreed.

"Merry Frostval!" the archmage said, smiling brightly at her too. In the past several months, ever since Xan had been healed and Jaania freed, Warlic had been more peaceful and happy than Serenity had ever seen him. The change in him was almost as amazing as the change in Xan, and Serenity thought it was just as wonderful to see.

"Merry Frostval!" she answered, looking admiringly at him. Serenity thought he looked very dashing in his Ranger armor, as usual._ But then, Warlic's awesome no matter what!_ she thought.

"You look lovely, Serenity!" Warlic told her, just as she was busy noticing how great _he_ looked.

Serenity blushed at the compliment. But she knew it was true. She was wearing a long white dress with red and green trim, and a soft blue hood folded back around her shoulders. "Thank you, Warlic!" she said. "You look awesome too!"

"I _feel_ awesome!" Warlic answered. "Being a Ranger is great fun. Of course, I could never really want to give up being a mage. It's my life."

"I know it is," Serenity answered softly.

Beside her, the laundry golem bounced to a standing position on the counter and started hopping up and down, reaching out to pull eagerly at the elbow of her sleeve. It squealed excitedly, looking right at her with its lively black button eyes, then swiveled its head to look at Warlic with an equally demanding expression.

"I believe I know what your friend wants!" Warlic said, smiling - he seemed to do that so often now, Serenity reflected in delight!

"Yes, I think you're right," she agreed. Turning her face toward the laundry golem, she picked it up and set it onto her left shoulder. "All right, let's go! Frostvale is waiting!" Then she remembered something. "Oh, I almost forgot! Do you have your package?"

"I have it right here in my backpack," Warlic confirmed. "What about you?"

"Absolutely," Serenity said, indicating her own backpack. "This is going to be great! I can't wait to see their faces!"

The two mages headed out the door, with Serenity's pet riding contentedly along on her shoulder. Outside, they joined the crowd of people who were streaming toward the temporary portal that Warlic and Cysero had set up leading to Frostvale.

"Hi, Ash!" Serenity said cheerfully, finding herself and Warlic next to Ash Dragonblade. He was a good friend who spent a lot of time around her Inn. He was also someone Serenity admired a great deal. At fourteen years old, he was already as valiant and true-hearted as any hero she could imagine.

"Hi, Serenity!" the young man replied, looking at them with a warm, open smile. "Hi, Warlic! How are you guys doing with your new classes?"

"I'm Level 10 now!" Serenity said proudly. "I know all _kinds_ of spells!"

"Me too!" Warlic said with an excited grin. "I mean, I'm also Level 10. Robina says I'm doing really well!"


	13. Party in Frostvale PART ONE

Chapter 13: Party in Frostvale PART ONE

Author's Note: Yeah, this has definitely become a two-parter! It's completely finished and I'm posting both parts at the same moment, so Part Two is already online right now. :)

Okay, this is the Frostval chapter AND they've really started this year's Frostval season on the DragonFable game now! So guess what? I have some Frostval presents for all of you: a bunch of new illustrations for this fanfic! Some of them are by me, and some are by my sister Razzle. (Thanks, Razzle! They're AWESOME!) You can find the pictures on Razzle's and my website. Just go to the Homepage link at the top of my FF.N profile, then click on "Fanart", then "Illustrations by Fanfic Title", then "Laundry Golems and Lost Love". There are ten pictures there now, and all of them except my portrait of Jaania are brand new! Please keep checking back there over the next week or two, as well. I plan on adding a whole list of other pictures as fast as Razzle and I can draw them.

And hey, if YOU would draw me any illustrations, I'd be flattered, whether you see yourself as a good artist or not. Seriously! Then YOUR art could go on our website too! Just drop me a PM if you're interested. This means YOU!

Princess Arimae: The red-haired young man from Lymcrest is an easter egg for you! You'll see why when he comes on stage. I saw him, no name attached, as a random villager in a cutscene in the game and this is who I thought of him as. He'll be in more of my DragonFable fanfics in the future, too, and with a bigger role. =D

The various snatches of Frostval carols are my adaptations of existing songs, for the most part - EXCEPT the first one you hear. That's reprised by my sister Razzle from the Christmas original, and she may be completing the Frostval version and posting it herself sometime. :)

Also, Razzle helped me come up with ideas for lots of the other stuff in this chapter. Including but nowhere near limited to the specific Frostval gift for the guy in the red armor. (You'll know him when you see him.) Razzle, I can't thank you enough - that is the PERFECT gift for him!

I can't believe I'm finally posting the last chapter of this fic. It's been such a long and amazing journey! But I've realized by now I can't say goodbye to all the storylines in DragonFable and the ideas I have about the ways they might play out. When I started "Laundry Golems and Lost Love," it was the only DF fic I had any plans for. Now, I've got TEN more in the works, all of them consistent with each other - all part of the bigger story, I guess. I don't know when they will appear on FF.N or in which order, but they will. So watch for them! :D

That's it for my long author's note. Here's my Frostval chapter. Happy Holidays!

* * *

Serenity felt the difference in the air temperature as soon as she stepped out of the portal just outside the entrance to Frostvale. It was crisp and cold, just the way she remembered it from every other year she had been here. All around, there was a soft blanket of dazzling white snow on the ground, and a dusting of it on the branches of all the fir and pine trees that stood scattered across the fields. Gently sloping hills dotted the land here and there, casting bright silver and gray shadows across the snow beneath them. Everything was just as beautiful as it always was in the area around Frostvale.

Swept along in the middle of the excited crowd, she walked quickly beside Warlic and Ash towards the archway leading into the little Moglin village. A moment later, they were almost there. Serenity heard a sweet and very wise young voice singing one of the very oldest of the traditional holiday carols.

_It's beginning to look a lot like Frostval  
Everywhere you quest..._

The young sweethearts AnnaLissa and Loren, who lived in the southern Falconsnest area of Serenity's home city of Falconreach, smiled at each other and took each other's hands, both blushing like teenagers even though Serenity knew they were in their mid-twenties. They made a stunning couple: Loren in his shiny, dashing Guardian armor next to AnnaLissa with her simple, stylish pink-and-white dress. It was the same one she always wore, as her family didn't have much gold, but she had replaced her usual pink flower with a bright red poinsettia tucked into her hair.

"It's a beautiful song," Loren said, his ruddy fingers holding protectively onto her soft brown ones. "I'd like... that is, maybe we could sing it together sometime?"

AnnaLissa's eyes lit up, looking at her shy but quietly determined young Guardian. "I'd love to, Loren!" she said, and Serenity felt a rush of happiness at the way Loren's smile seemed to take over his entire face.

Looking around at the dozens of other people nearby, Serenity caught the eyes of Thursday and her sister Wednesday, who were also smiling at the sight of AnnaLissa and Loren's cuteness. The two sisters from Amityvale, several years apart in age but very similar in appearance, both had very elegant dresses and short, glossy black hair to frame their pale faces and big, deep gray eyes. They shared a moment's glance with Serenity, then the direction of their gaze subtly shifted to include Warlic as well. A mischievous if completely good-natured twinkle dawned in both those pairs of gray eyes, and Serenity found _herself_ blushing now. Obviously, Wednesday and Thursday had noticed that she and Warlic were on a date.

By this time, there were only one or two people between them and the open Frostvale gate with its tall framework of intricate gold weavings on either side. A second later, those people walked through into the Moglin town and Serenity could see the people who stood there waiting to welcome all the guests. Twilly, his orange fur brightly visible against the snow and the gray-white stonework of the gate, was exuberantly greeting each and every person who arrived.

"Hi, Serenity! Hi, Ash! Hi, Warlic!" the kind-hearted little healer said jubilantly, and they all grinned and waved at him in return.

"Hi!" Ash said, clasping the Moglin's hand in greeting. The two of them had been good friends for a long time, Serenity knew.

Standing next to the very excited Twilly was Loremaster Maya. She made a merry sight, in her bright red-and-green dress with golden trim. On her shoulder was a very happily perched young blue Moglin: Chilly, Serenity realized, even though he was much bigger now than he had been last year. And, she saw, it was Maya who was singing.

"Maya!" Serenity exclaimed warmly. "It's wonderful to see you again!" She remembered that this was not only the young librarian Maya, but also the evil deity known as Falerin; but as the powerful being had said in Oaklore many months ago, she preferred simply being Maya most of the time.

"Yes," Warlic said, speaking up for the first time since they had traveled through the portal. Serenity didn't see anything unusual about him being quiet; Warlic was simply the kind of person who spoke only when he had something to say. "How have you been, Loremaster?"

The librarian paused in her song as they spoke. "Do you think I'd miss a Frostval celebration?" Maya asked. Her eyes were bright with laughter and Frostval spirit. "Not likely!"

"No, I suppose not!" Serenity answered. She realized that she had actually seen Maya at every one of the Frostval parties she'd ever attended here, even though they'd never actually met or spoken before that day in Oaklore when Maya had returned the Pyronomicon to Warlic and Xan.

Meanwhile, other people were continuing to stream into Frostvale, simply walking past Warlic and Serenity. Ash, having spent a moment speaking quietly with Twilly, had also headed into the town-wide party by now.

Many of the people who went by were handing Maya packages. Seeing them, Serenity reached into her own backpack and pulled out a huge, bulky rounded package of her own, wrapped in plain brown paper. It was a little bigger than she could wrap her arms around, but magically lightweight and easy to handle.

"Here, Maya," she said, offering her package to the Loremaster as Warlic was pulling out a large and very irregularly shaped package of his own. "You're taking care of getting all of these where they need to go, right?"

Smiling, Maya accepted both Serenity's and Warlic's packages. She placed them into a small stack of other packages behind her, but Serenity got the idea that that pile held far more boxes and bundles than it openly appeared to.

"I'll take care of arranging everything," Maya said seriously, with a conspiratorially mysterious air. "I remember the plan."

"Of course," Warlic answered equally seriously, his eyes twinkling. "Thank you, Maya."

"I've realized something," Serenity said to Warlic as they both walked in through the gate of Frostvale. "Back this summer, when I went on the quests with you and Cysero and Xan, I thought I'd never been outside of Falconreach. But you know, I've been to Frostval every year since they started holding it! I guess it's just so welcoming here that I never thought of this as being away from home."

"I know what you mean," Warlic said. "Frostvale is a wonderful place, and Frostval is a great holiday!"

As they stepped into the town square, Serenity looked excitedly around at all the partying that was already going on. Straight ahead, winding tan footpaths and bright expanses of white snow led deeper into the little village. To the right, Moglins and a lot of their human guests were scampering around decorating several of the Frostval trees that stood all over town.

Off to her left, the big cheerful bonfire she remembered from earlier Frostvals was already blazing. Smaller fires dotted the area, carefully contained in shallow, scooped-out pits with rings of small white stones around them. At one of these, a mage who looked a little familiar was busily roasting marshmallows on long sticks, one in each of his hands. He looked like the kind of person who probably had a bit of an attitude.

"Hey, isn't that Stephan from your magic school?" Serenity asked Warlic. "The guy who was giving Xan a hard time when you first came to school?"

"Yeah, but he got over himself," Warlic answered. He waved, catching the other mage's eye. "Hey, Stephan! Happy Frostval!"

Stephan looked up from his marshmallow roasting and grinned. "Hi, Warlic. Happy Frostval to you too! And you, young lady!" he added, nodding to Serenity.

Just then, Cysero arrived. In his green robes and with that amazingly bright grin of his, he looked completely festive. "Hi, guys!" he said to absolutely everybody all at once.

A great cheer went up from all the Moglins. "Cysero, the hero of Frostvale!"

Serenity remembered the way Cysero had saved all the Moglins of Frostvale a few years back, when they had been turned to coal by an evil spell. He certainly _was_ a hero! _It's just like the way he did so much to help Warlic and Xan and Jaania,_ she thought, wholeheartedly joining into the cheering herself.

Cysero gave them all a jaunty thumbs-up. "I'm glad I could help you guys," he said. "It's way more fun to see you like this the way you WANT to be... even if those coal statues WERE pretty!" Then he looked at one specific point in the crowd of Moglins and smiled.

"Hey Zorbak, you're cheering too? Thanks!"

"Meh," Zorbak said, looking up at Cysero with a slightly snarky but overall appreciative expression. "You're pretty awesome."

"I agree!" Artix said. Serenity looked at him in surprise. She hadn't seen him arrive; he must have simply stepped out of the crowd. She and Warlic exchanged a happy greeting with the kind paladin.

Next to him was Warlic's apprentice Nythera. Seeing her didn't scare Serenity as it might have done the year before. The Innkeeper and the half-dragon mage had been getting to know each other lately, and Serenity had by this time gone on Nythera's illusion quests as Cysero had suggested. _They were amazing, too!_ she thought.

"Nythera," Warlic greeted his apprentice, speaking formally but in an open, friendly tone. "How have you been doing?"

"Never better," Nythera said cheerfully. "Artix and I are attending Frostval together. It's fun! And what about you, Warlic?" She gave him a merrily impudent glance. "It looks like you and Serenity are here together as well!"

"Yes, we are," Warlic answered simply, not seeming the least bit embarrassed or put out.

"Well, let's go see Past, Present, and Future!" Artix said, turning to Nythera. "I know, I know, I do NOT get to exorcize them! Just remind me when I see them that they are HAPPY spirits, okay, Nythera?"

"Sure thing," Nythera agreed. "Okay, come on!" With that, the two of them walked quickly away in a seemingly random direction. Undoubtedly, they were headed right for the three Frostval ghosts they had mentioned.

Moments later, the young pet trainer Aria showed up riding her pet giant spider, Shelogog. She was only one of a stream of happy, excited people who kept on arriving.

"All this fun is making me hungry for marshmallows!" Cysero declared. He ran off to join Stephan at his campfire, along with several other people. Serenity's laundry golem ran for the marshmallows too, and she knew better than to be alarmed when it started hopping around near the campfire: this was after all a _Fire-Resistant_ Laundry Golem! Aria and Shelogog, seeing the excitement and no doubt SMELLING the marshmallows, happily tagged along after the group.

Over the next few minutes, everyone simply partied and enjoyed each other's company. Cysero was involved in _everything._ It seemed that every time Serenity blinked, the wacky nature mage was at the opposite end of town from where he'd been a second earlier.

People were still arriving, still pretty quickly but now a little slower than before. Most of them scattered all over the village, but a pair of Adventurers scooted to a stop in front of Warlic and Serenity.

"Hello!" The warrior who greeted them, wearing shiny sea-blue armor and with a tumble of wild iron-gray hair and bright blue eyes, seemed to be around seventy years old. His companion, a slender and very fit Rogue woman, looked about the same age. Both of them were as obviously energetic as kids, and both were grinning from ear to ear.

"I'm Rosa, and this is my husband Seaflood," the rogue with the short, soft, bold yellow hair announced. "We're here to meet our daughter."

"Hi," Serenity answered, as Warlic inclined his head in a polite greeting to the exuberant pair. "I'm Serenity. I'm sure everyone knows who Warlic is! It's good to meet you. Who is your -"

Then a beautiful sound of jingling, ringing bells started to come from the sky far above them and to the south. Serenity and Warlic looked up. So did Seaflood, Rosa, and lots of other people. There was nothing to be seen for a moment, then a swiftly flying shape came into view.

"They're here!" Serenity cried out happily, as the shape came closer. It was a big, old-fashioned sleigh, the kind that had long curved runners to glide over snow. A team of nimble, flying Raindeer were pulling it through the sky. Their hooves kicked up little waves of bright blue water as they flew. In the cold, clear air, the water froze into cascades of soft white snowflakes that fluttered down towards the ground in the twelve Raindeer's wake. Ahead of them all, a somewhat larger deer flew, or rather pranced, in the lead. His big, bright red nose shot out sparks and jagged streaks of lightning, filling the air in front of the team of deer with a bright, crackling yellow light.

A deep, merry laugh rang out from the sleigh's direction. "HO HO HO!" As the magic vehicle zoomed in for a landing on a big, open patch of snow, Serenity saw Xan and Jaania sitting on the driver's bench together. It was Xan who had laughed, of course.

_Or rather, Xanta Claus!_ Serenity thought. He was wearing a red shirt and pants as usual, but instead of deep yellow edges, this set was trimmed with snowy white. On his head was a red-and-white Xanta hat, and clasped at his neck was the warm, soft Smoky Cape that his mother had given him years before.

In the back of the sleigh, there was a huge brown cloth bag filled with all kinds of mysterious lumpy items and cube-shapes of different sizes. Serenity grinned, remembering how Cysero had presented that bag to Xan some weeks ago. "It's a Bag of Infinite Holding," the weaponsmith had said. "It's got LOTS of empty space in it!"

Now, Serenity saw dozens of pairs of bright eyes and pointed green ears sticking up above the edge of the sleigh all around that bag. Naturally, they belonged to dozens of sneevils! She was glad to see that the box-loving little warriors had agreed to come to Frostval and help out Xan and Jaania with their project. The sneevils would have a great time, she expected, as well as being a very big help to their human friends.

The sleigh hit the snow and skidded to a stop. Jaania hopped right out over the side and ran to greet the two Adventurers called Seaflood and Rosa. Throwing her arms around them, she hugged them both at once. "Mom! Dad!"

_So __she's__ their daughter!_ Serenity thought in surprise. _Well, it makes sense. It would take people this energetic and full of life to be Jaania's parents!_

"Jaania!" Rosa said in delight, hugging her daughter back. "How have you been since we saw you last week?"

"I've been busy, and happy!" Jaania said in reply. "What about you guys?"

"We're fine," Seaflood said, his voice joyful. "I think we haven't stopped being happy in months. We couldn't believe it when we saw you were free! Our little girl..."

"Not so little anymore," Rosa said with a brilliant smile. "But still our baby."

By this time, Xan had also jumped out of the sleigh. He stopped next to the large, energy-element deer who stood at the front of his team, and clapped it on the shoulder in a friendly way. "Thanks for guiding my sleigh, Rudolph!" he said.

"No problem," the deer called Rudolph answered. "It was fun! I'd like to do it again next year."

"You're on," Xan agreed with a broad smile.

As the Pyromancer turned to face Serenity and her companions, the deer all shook off their harnesses and raced off to trot and frolic around in the snow of Frostvale's open spaces. Dozens of children, and more than a few adult Moglins and humans, hurried to meet the Raindeer and Rudolph, and offered to pet them - much to the proud creatures' obvious delight. At the same time, lots of people also clustered around to welcome Xanta and his helpers.

"Hi, everybody!" Xan said, totally at ease with being at the center of attention. "Happy Frostval!"

Jaania and the sneevils all seemed equally comfortable in front of the crowd. They were all wearing bright green outfits with white trim, and some of them - including Jaania - had big, puffy green versions of Xanta's hat, with the same white puffball at the end of the pointed part. Jaania looked especially lovely in her two-tone green costume, with a long-sleeved shirt and warm leggings beneath her deeper green Xanta's Elf dress. Under her hat, her violet eyes were bright and her cheeks were blushing a warm pink from the delightfully cold air.

"What a lovely dress, Jaania!" Serenity said, smiling at the other young woman. "And your hair is getting more amazing than ever!" Jaania had been growing her hair out since summer. It had already been long, and now it reached all the way to her knees.

"Thank you, Serenity!" Jaania answered. "Thurdsay from Amityvale made this outfit for me. Isn't her work lovely? She's a very gifted seamstress and craftsperson."

"She certainly is," Serenity agreed. "I've seen some Adventurers with beautiful purple capes and things that she made for them. This definitely looks like her other work!"

Meanwhile, the big group of sneevils who had arrived with Xan and Jaania were now gathered around the back of the sleigh, starting to pull out the bag of Frostval gifts. "Excuse me!" Jaania said suddenly to everyone. "I'd better go help!" She hurried to join the sneevils, grabbed an edge of the bag, and helped to steady it as she and the other Frostval "elves" all lowered it to the ground.

"Why are there sneevils here?" Rosa asked, sounding a little confused. "Not that I mind, you guys!" she added, looking over at the sneevils. "But I've never seen any of you at Frostval before!"

One of the sneevils looked up at the brown-and-green-armored rogue. "We here to help!" he said importantly. "Xanta promised us BOXES. And Jaania REAL nice! She say we do big important job."

"That's right," Jaania said, speaking to everyone nearby. "I knew there were SO many people we wanted to give presents to, and with only me and Xan, that's a big job! So we asked the sneevils for help."

"And in return," Xan said, "after everyone gets their presents, the sneevils get the boxes. They've agreed to leave the boxes alone until then, and not dump the stuff out or anything."

"How did you manage that?" Warlic said, sounding interested and curious as he spoke up.

"I told them _we_ feel the same way about the stuff inside the boxes as _they_ do about the boxes themselves," Jaania explained.

Another sneevil nodded emphatically. "Jaania real smart lady! No one ever explained to us like that before. We sorry! We never know you really LIKE your stuff! But now all sneevils happy because we get boxes _and_ friends." He smiled brightly with his jagged teeth.

"Hi!"

Serenity heard a new and rather large voice, as another Frostval guest arrived on the scene and headed straight for Xan. She turned as the big, rounded shadow fell across her; it was Icemaster Yeti! Serenity grinned and waved at him, happy to see the kindhearted and furry snow monster. She remembered feeling intimidated by him on the very first Frostval ever, when he had threatened the Moglins and their town. But she could never feel that way now. Icemaster Yeti had proved himself to be a good and gentle person, now that he'd chosen to stop being a villain.

Icemaster Yeti gave Xan an enormous hug. "It's good to see you! I heard last summer that you're okay. And you look so much happier now!" His entire attitude was completely accepting and welcoming.

_And no wonder!_ Serenity thought. _Xan was a Frostval villain once, and so was Icemaster Yeti. He's got every reason to be glad that Xan's a good guy too now._

Xan hugged Icemaster Yeti back, smiling so hard his eyes were closed. Then he stepped back, walked the few steps to where Jaania was standing, and put his arm around her shoulders. "I'm as happy as I ever imagined being, Icemaster Yeti," he said, "because Jaania's safe now."

The incredible bravery behind that statement struck Serenity's heart. _It's true,_ she thought. _No matter how much he was being hurt, Jaania was always more important to Xan than anything else._

At that moment, a whole clump of other people showed up. Most of them, especially the men, were dressed in sturdy brown-and-tan work clothes, and a few wore yellow workmen's helmets. At the front of the group was a short, stocky man, about a head shorter than Serenity, and with steely dark-gray hair and sideburns around his tanned, strong face. _He's a dwarf!_ Serenity realized, seeing his extremely sturdy build and big hands. Some of the rest of his group were, too, while others were plainly human.

"Hey there, young man!" the dwarf said to Xan. "We'd have been here earlier, but the road down from Lymcrest got snowed in and all full o' drifts the size of a giant's house. We had to dig our way through!" He laughed, a gruff but very friendly sound. "Lucky we're good at that, seein' as we're miners, eh, Xan?"

_These are Lymcrest's people!_ Serenity realized. _Xan's townspeople!_

"Yeah, I guess you are!" Xan said. For the first time since he and his companions had arrived, he seemed to be feeling a little awkward, but his voice was sincerely friendly in spite of his evident discomfort. "Hi, guys. Welcome to Frostval!"

Serenity knew that Xan had once been very cruel to the people of Lymcrest, and it wasn't hard to guess that that was why he was feeling uncertain now. To ease the moment, she walked forward and introduced herself to one of the human villagers who stood next to the stocky dwarf.

"Hi," she said simply. "I'm Serenity of Falconreach. What's your name?"

"I'm Feanor," the Lymcrest villager answered. He indicated the dwarf who seemed to be a bit of a leader among their group. "And this is Doug Digg, one of our most respected citizens."

Doug nodded once, acknowledging the introduction. "Hello there!"

"Pleased to meet you, Serenity," Feanor concluded with a courtly smile and a small bow.

Feanor was a young man with short, spiky red hair and a confident expression on his face. Against each side of his hair, he wore a shimmering silver fish. At first Serenity thought they were a pair of real fish. But as she looked closer, she saw that they were a cleverly worked creation made from actual silver, with small, glittering white jewels for eyes.

"Wow," Serenity said admiringly. "Did you make those fish, Feanor?"

"I did," the young man answered readily with a bright flash of pride in his eyes and a friendly smile. "Thanks, I quite like them."

"Feanor is a young but very talented jewelsmith," Doug Digg said proudly. He looked at Feanor, then, with the same approving expression, at Xan. "I guess kids from our village turn out well."

Xan gave him a bit of a startled look. "You mean me too?" he asked, sounding surprised. "I know you've all said you forgive me -"

"Your mom and dad would be very proud of you, Xan." Doug's voice was firm, and his eyes were sincere. "You're a good man, and I think you always were."

Xan's hands clenched into fists at his sides, and his expressive green eyes looked down guiltily at the ground. "I hurt you," he said quietly. "I hurt you all because I _wanted_ to, and I laughed about it."

"None of us is stupid enough to think we would've done any better," Doug said, and Serenity knew that he was speaking for all of the Lymcrest people. "You can't be blamed for bein' so hurt you couldn't see straight."

"Thanks, Doug," Xan answered simply. He looked up, and the unhappy shadow lifted from his eyes. "It means a lot to hear you say that."

"It's true," Warlic said in a quiet but definite tone.

Jaania smiled in agreement. "Never doubt that, Xan," she said, taking the Pyromancer's hand and squeezing it as she looked up into his face. "I _know_ what kind of a person you are."

Xan looked at them both, then around at the rest of the crowd. Serenity met Xan's eyes and smiled at him too, then she also looked around. She saw people on all sides smiling or nodding, and as she looked to her left she saw Cysero, who had popped up without her noticing, giving Xan a definite thumbs-up and a big smile.

Suddenly, Xan seemed to completely shake off his unhappiness of a moment before. "All right!" he said in his usual bold voice, a truly cheerful grin spreading across his face. "Let's get this party going!"

Turning to the red-haired young jewelsmith, he added, "Feanor, it's good to see you again, even though Jaania and I have only known you since fall."

"Feanor was born shortly after Xan left for magic school," Doug Digg explained, seeming to realize that Serenity and some of the other people in the nearby crowd wouldn't already know that.

"Disappointing timing," Feanor said. He gave Xan a rueful smile. "If we'd been born closer to the same time, we might have been friends when we were kids."

Xan nodded. "Who knows? But we're definitely friends now."

"That's for sure," Feanor answered, and the metallic fish in his hair shimmered at his quick, assured nod.

As Feanor spoke, Serenity saw Maya and a handful of Moglins arriving from the direction of the Frostvale town gate. One of them was Twilly, and the smaller one next to him was, of course, Chilly.

"I'd like to make an announcement!" a third Moglin said, hopping up from his perch in Maya's arms to stand tall on her shoulder. It was Chilly's father Blizzy. His fur was a bright, soft blue color, and his eyes were warm and intelligent. "Now that most everybody is here, I want to officially introduce the Frostval Guests of Honor!"

Pointing out each in turn with a gesture of his strong, furry little blue hand, he said, "Cysero, Warlic, Xan, Jaania, and Serenity!"

Everyone started to clap and cheer for the five mages. Blizzy, his voice rising calmly above the joyful sounds, concluded, "Every one of you five is a hero. I've heard the story from Maya, and there's no way your incredible adventure would have worked without ALL of you!"

When the cheering quieted, Xan spoke up. "I'd like to make an announcement myself," he said. His green eyes sparkled under his bright red hat. Then he stabbed his right fist high into the air in a jubilant gesture of victory. "Present time!"

Once again, the crowd cheered wildly. Xan turned to his giant bag of gifts and started pulling out box after box, right alongside Jaania and the sneevils who were all doing exactly the same thing.

Dozens of sneevils ran off in dozens of directions, each of them carrying two or three boxes which they began quickly passing out to the excited partygoers. Meanwhile, Xan and Jaania were checking the labels on the presents in their own hands.

"Let's see," Xan said, holding up a tag to read it. "This one's for you, Artix." He looked around. "ARTIX!" he called in sheer enthusiasm.

"Right here!" Artix said, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. Eagerly taking his present as Xan offered it, he tore off the wrapping paper.

"Don't worry," Jaania said. "It's biodegradable. We made all the wrapping paper out of crushed birdseeds. You can just throw it on the ground!"

Artix nodded in satisfaction. "Okay!" He opened his box and pulled out a small, elegant bottle made of thick, durable-looking glass. "Wow!" he said suddenly, as he read the bright green-and white label. Then he held it up to show it to the others, and Serenity could read for herself what it said.

Spicy Peppermint Wasabi  
This stuff has a HOT peppermint flavor! Watch out!

Artix grinned from ear to ear. "Thanks, Xanta Claus! I can't wait to try it." He looked down as a small, insistent green hand started tugging at the side of his armor. "Oh, right," he said in a friendly voice, and handed his empty box to the very jubilant sneevil.

"This one's for you, Cysero!" Jaania said next, holding up a very long and bulky cylindrical package. The nature mage bounced forward to accept his present, and soon had the paper off. It was a carpet! The patterns, as Cysero unrolled it, reminded Serenity of a few bright, bold items that some of her Inn's visitors had brought back at times from a place called the Sandsea.

Without warning, the carpet pulled itself out of a very surprised Cysero's hands and floated up into the air to hover at waist-height. Blinking, Cysero stared at it. "Neat! I always wanted a Flying Carpet!" With a single hop, he propelled himself up and sideways to land, already sitting cross-legged, right in the middle of the carpet. It dipped a bit under his weight, then easily settled itself back to its original altitude.

"Hey, box guys!" Cysero called out. Swooping low through the crowd, Cysero flew his nifty new ride along in a curving, back-and-forth path a foot above the ground until he had collected ten or fifteen eager sneevil passengers. Crowding the rug outrageously, they all zoomed off together with a huge heap of boxes balanced in their collective laps. As the carpet flew off around a corner of Frostvale's winding footpaths, Serenity heard a very happy sneevil voice floating back:

"Let's go build a SnowBox Fort!"

Xan reached into the Bag of Infinite Holding again and pulled out a small, flat rectangular package. "Valencia, this one's for you!" he said.

Now Serenity was really curious. _What do you give a Rare Item Hunter for Frostval?_ she wondered, as the beautiful young woman with the light indigo hair hurried over.

Valencia was a truly stunning sight as usual, in her glamorous but very practical shirt and deep red pants. Her bold, adventuresome face was sparkling with an inquisitive smile of interest. She seemed to be as curious as Serenity about her present. "What have you brought for me, Xan?" she asked brightly.

"Open it!" Xan told her, not answering. Serenity thought his face looked a little mischievous, in a good way.

Accepting the box, Valencia swiftly opened it with expert, nimble fingers that didn't even tear the paper as she unfolded it. Seconds later a book fell out into her graceful hands. She stared at it in puzzlement.

"A book?" she asked.

"It's not just any book," Xan told her. "This is a one-of-a-kind, totally unique book that was handwritten just for you!"

Valencia's eyes lit up. "Ooh, really? Now I'm interested!"

Jaania stepped forward to explain. "You remember that Adventurer whose story you wanted to know, a while back? Well, here it is, written with the hero's own hand and telling all about what happened before you two met and even since then! You see, I told the Adventurer how much you STILL wanted to hear this story, and I asked very nicely - It seems some people don't realize just how interesting their own lives are!" Jaania smiled, as Valencia looked down at the little book in her hands with an expression of sheer delight.

Just then, a sneevil came running up with a very big box cradled a bit awkwardly in his slender little green arms. "Can't find Zorbak!" he announced. "Where he go? He not too ebil for Frostval, is he?"

"No, he's here," Serenity said. "I saw him earlier."

"Somebody wants to find me?" It was the unmistakable voice of Zorbak, but Serenity couldn't see him for a moment until he made his way into view between the legs of the much taller human guests.

"Yes!" the sneevil said, stomping forward to meet Zorbak and dumping the box into his arms. "I have present for you! Happy Frostval!"

Zorbak promptly set the box down, rather than fighting with something that was almost bigger than he was. Then he looked at Xan over it. "So you're done with being a Frostval villain, hmm?" Zorbak's furry blue face looked thoughtful. "I might have to try it myself sometime."

"You might," Xan said matter-of-factly. "I think everyone's planning on being peaceful this year, but most of the time Frostval needs a villain so the Adventurers have something to do.

The Moglin necromancer nodded. "I'll definitely consider it." Then he suddenly gave Xan a very sincere look. "You know, I'm actually happy to see you all right," he said. "It was rough on even me, seeing somebody hurt THAT badly."

_Of course he's relieved,_ Serenity thought. She recalled the way Zorbak had offered Xan a choice, even if it was a scary one, when the Moglin healers hadn't been able to do anything for him the day of the terrible accident back at the Magic Academy._ Zorbak may be ebil, but he's far from all bad. He __is__ a Moglin after all._

"I appreciate it," Xan said gravely. "And I appreciate the way you offered to help, years ago. It always made my life a little less scary, knowing I _did_ have a choice. I never really considered going for the whole undead thing... but at least I wasn't _trapped_." Then he gestured at Zorbak's brightly wrapped Frostval box. "Hey, aren't you going to open your present?"

"Oh yeah," Zorbak said. Pointing his staff at it, he let zip a blast of carefully controlled ebil dark magic. The spell hit the box and blew it open, sending bits of shredded (but thankfully NOT undead) wrapping paper in all directions. The necromancer looked inside, then beamed with delight. "How did you ever think of it?" he asked, holding up a small, ornate paper sign that had been on top of the box's contents.

Elemental Orb Plushies  
A complete set of the Elemental Orbs of Lore - in _plushie!_ These will make a perfect decoration for an ebil throne room, without the inconvenience of having heroes and forces of darkness trying to steal them from you all day long. Soft and huggable... if you're the kind of Moglin who does hugs, that is.

Zorbak reached into the box and brought out a soft, swirly pale-blue orb, holding it out for everyone to admire. _It's the Orb of Wind!_ Serenity realized, seeing the spiral tornado patterns in the furry surface of the plushie. Peeking into the box, she could see that all the other plushie Orbs were in there too.

"I remembered how much you wanted the real Fire Orb," Xan said, "and Cysero told me recently that you'd said you wanted it for a souvenir. So I asked Lady Celestia to make you these. She's quite the plushie expert!"

"Well, I'm happy," Zorbak said contentedly, dumping the plushie Wind Orb back into the box. "Now, if I can only get these home..."

"No problem," Xan said. "Do you want me to teleport them back to your lair for you?"

Zorbak gave him a surprised, round-eyed look, then smirked. "With friends like you, who needs minions?"

With a wave of his hand, Xan made the big box of Elemental Orb Plushies disappear. Serenity knew that they must already be back at Zorbak's ebil lair... where he would no doubt be very busy arranging them all over the place as soon as he got back from Frostval.

Again, Xan turned around and scooped a present out of the bag next to his sleigh. A very big smile appeared on his face as he read the nametag on this one.

"Warlic," he said, looking right at the Blue Mage. His eyes were twinkling with a look of joy that Serenity thought was somehow beyond the fun of simply giving someone a present for Frostval. "Here you go!"

Jaania also looked extremely delighted, but she didn't say anything as Warlic took the good-sized and slightly heavy-looking box in his hands.

_What are they up to?_ Serenity wondered. _There's something special going on here. I know there is._

Xan, his face still very happy, looked seriously at Warlic. "I'm glad we have our friendship back."

"So am I," Warlic said fervently. "I can't tell you how much." He opened the box, and looked at Serenity in surprise as he pulled out a large, sturdy clay bowl. It was a round, elegant design, with two or three carefully placed curving lines carved into the side in a pattern almost like the roots of a tree reaching down through the earth. There was no color added to the glaze; it had been allowed to keep the natural deep beige color of the clay, and the result was decidedly classy and beautiful.

"Look, Serenity," Warlic said, turning the bowl over to show her an inscription on the flat underside.

Warlic's Mixing Bowl  
Depending on what ingredients you put in this, you could make almost anything!

"It was awesome watching him make it," Jaania said. She grinned up at Xan. "He got this huge flat spinning rock, and put a big lump of clay on it, and made a terrible mess flinging wet clay everywhere until he got the shape just right! And then he fired it with his own Pyromancer spells. The fire was just _shooting_ out from his hands!"

"It was FUN!" Xan answered her. Then he looked at Warlic again. "But this is more than just a neat thing for you to do magical experiments with, and it's more than just a present from me. There are a couple of other people who are in on it..." He signaled with one hand, and the potion experts Reens and Alina stepped forward from where they had been standing unobtrusively in the crowd.

"Hi!" Reens said, waving to Warlic. Next to her, Alina smiled with a bright look in her sparkly eyes. As always, she looked a little remote, as if she was contemplating something mystical.

"We're tired of you having to put up with the pressure and responsibility of having to watch how much mana you generate all the time," Alina said. However distracted she might look, her gentle voice was alert and sharply attentive as usual. Anyone who thought Alina might be missing anything of what happened around her, Serenity knew, would be in for a surprise!

"Xan asked us, and we've agreed to help you design an anti-mana potion," Reens continued from what Alina had said. "Come on, let's get to work right away!"

"Really?" Warlic asked. He looked and sounded quite stunned, and Serenity felt the same way. _Could it be?_ she thought. _Could everything turn out SO beautifully right that Warlic wouldn't have to worry about his mana anymore?_

Reens, Warlic, and Alina all scooted excitedly off to the side with Warlic's new mixing bowl. They promptly disappeared from view, but Serenity could just hear their quick, intelligent voices seeming to shoot ideas and suggestions back and forth at each other.

As she waited for them to return, Serenity noticed a studious-looking mage in very formal gold and tan robes, standing quietly nearby. He bore a marked resemblance to Reens, and all at once the Innkeeper recognized him. This was Curtis, Reens' older brother and Xan's old roommate from magic school!

"Hi, Curtis!" Xan was saying, just as Serenity was thinking all that. "It's been a while since we saw each other. All the way since school, I think. How have you been?"

"I'm the Official Chief Magical Researcher for King Alteon now!" Curtis answered. "It's a very good job and quite an honor. But he says I'm good at it!"

At that moment, Warlic and the potion researchers almost seemed to slide back into view. "We think it worked!" Reens said excitedly. She held up a bottle of swirling _orange_ potion. It looked just like a mana potion, but it was the opposite color. "But we need to test it. Warlic, you already don't have any mana points right now, so we wouldn't be able to tell if it worked..."

"I'll try it," Serenity said confidently, stepping forward. "I'm a mage, and I can let you know if it works. Should it happen right away?"

"We think so," Alina answered. "Other potions do. If it's going to work, it should be instantaneous."

"Okay," Serenity said, reaching out and accepting the potion from Reens. She opened the bottle and quickly drank it. Immediately she felt an astonishingly soothing and restful sensation in her mind, along with a rapid loss of a great deal of her mana. A second or two later, it was clear to Serenity that her ability to cast magic was, for the moment, completely gone. And along with that knowledge came a quiet but very intense feeling of victory.

"Yep. Definitely out of mana points," Serenity confirmed.

"It's all right," Alina said kindly. "I have a mana potion right here." The starry-eyed master pulled out a bottle of swirly blue potion and handed it to Serenity. Then Alina did a double take. "Hey, it worked!"

"Thank you all," Warlic said, beaming. "This is a wonderful present! And it means more than just a safety net for my use of mana in important situations. I can now afford to cast spells for fun!"

Standing right there in his Ranger armor, the archmage Warlic threw his arms up towards the sky with a lighthearted and free expression on his face.

"LIGHT SHOW!" he cried exultantly in all-caps.

A wonderful array of fireworks sparked out from his hands and flew upward and apart through the sky. Leaping and dancing in a bright display of power, the sizzling lines of magic shot through the air and exploded one after another into cascades of multicolored fire high above. Red, green, yellow, blue, purple... Frostval fireworks glowed in dozens of places, scattered across the sky from one side to the other as Warlic continued to cast his spell. The display was filled with the same exuberant joy that was shining so brightly from Warlic's face.

_This is beautiful!_ Serenity thought. _Not just the fireworks, but seeing Warlic having fun and being happy and not sad._ She smiled. Warlic hadn't seemed sad at all for a long time now. _My wonderful archmage..._

Serenity paused in surprise._ Wait a minute: __my__ archmage? That's awfully grabby of me! But he's so incredible._

"Warlic," she said quietly, walking over to stand right by him. "I'm honored you asked me to come to Frostval with you."

"I'm glad I did," Warlic answered, "and I'm honored you accepted." Without warning, he swept her up into a big hug.

Squeezed and thoroughly happy, Serenity smiled all the way across her face. _Wow, there sure is a lot of magic going on here!_ she thought a bit dizzily, caught up in the amazing power of the joyful hug. _And it's all good magic! This is a perfect Frostval._

As she and Warlic finally stepped back from each other a moment later, Serenity heard a woman's kind, strong voice beside her.

"Wow! Those are lovely!" It was a tall woman in elegant silver-gray mage robes, with graying hair that still held streaks of bright auburn red all through it. She was looking admiringly up at the sky, gazing at Warlic's fireworks. Then she looked down and smiled at Warlic and Serenity. Stunned, the Innkeeper realized at once who she was, even though she looked somewhat older now than before.

"Professor Berith!" Serenity exclaimed, happy to see her again.

Berith gave her a puzzled look. "Have we met, dear?"

Surprised, Serenity realized that the Professor didn't know her at all. "Not exactly," she said. "I just feel like we're old friends... I'm Serenity. I'm the Innkeeper at Falconreach." She started to tell Berith about Cysero's illusion spells, but the Swordhaven professor nodded in understanding almost immediately.

"You must be Serenity, then!" Berith said. "Xan and Jaania told me about your part in rescuing them both. And it all started with Cysero showing you the past..." She shook her head in amazement. "Remarkable. So that's why you remember me, of course. And to think, you experienced all that just last summer! For me it was years ago, when Warlic and the others were kids."

"I suppose that must have been around the time I was born," Serenity said, thinking aloud. "I'm twenty-three..."

"Yes, it was twenty-five years ago now," Berith confirmed. "They were seventeen."

A man who looked around Berith's age stepped forward to stand next to her. _Professor Danlin!_ Serenity thought. Just as they always had in her illusion-memories, the two teachers showed every sign of having been very good friends for a long time.

Jaania, busy searching through the contents of the bag of gifts again, popped up briefly to wave hello to her good-natured teachers. "Hi, Professor Berith! And Professor Danlin!" Then she all but dived back into the bag again, reaching in so far that the top third of her body was hidden from view. "Just a second... I know it's in here somewhere... Aha! And this too!" Straightening up once again, she hauled out two presents after her. She handed the smaller box to Professor Berith. "Merry Frostval!"

"Why, thank you!" Berith replied. She opened the box to reveal a spiffy pair of running shoes, and her slightly wrinkled face lit up. "Haha! These are great!"

Thinking back, Serenity seemed to remember Professor Berith moving awfully fast a few times in the magic school illusions. _I guess she likes running!_ the young woman thought. _Xan and Jaania would know. They definitely picked right, because she looks very happy!_

"And this is for you," Jaania said, handing the bigger box to a white-haired, very wrinkled but very alert-looking old man. Looking closely at him, Serenity recognized Professor Jeremy, the elemental researcher from Swordhaven.

"Let me see," the old professor said with an air of merry intellectual curiosity. "What would you two have given me...? It could be anything... I'll have to open it." He did so, and pulled out a small, low table with a brightly colored pattern of square wooden tiles inlaid in intricate pathways all over the tabletop. Tied to one short, sturdy leg was a paper tag. Serenity, Warlic, and several other people crowded close to read it alongside Jeremy.

Periodic Table  
The squares on this table's surface represent the different elements of Lore. Each square can magically expand to the size of the table itself, and become a perfectly suited area for experimenting with the element it depicts. A great tool for the researcher who wants to know it all. With spaces to add new elements as you discover them!

"This is perfect!" Jeremy said happily. "Xan, Jaania, thank you both. And Xan, I might be asking you to check out that ice section with me one of these days... not to mention the fire square!"  
"I'll look forward to it," Xan said with another of his wonderfully happy grins. Then he looked over at Danlin. "We brought a present for you too, you know!" He started to turn back toward the bag to look for it, but Danlin shook his head.

"The sneevils already gave me my present," Danlin said happily. "The water-skis were just what I wanted!"

Another sneevil came hurrying around from the other side of that bag, holding a tall, rounded box a little smaller than its own green face. "Hey, here's something!" It held up the tag, reading it aloud. "It say 'For Serenity.' Hey, that you! C'mon, take it! Take it!" And the sneevil stuffed the box right into Serenity's hands.

"Okay!" Serenity laughed. She couldn't help shaking the box a little bit out of curiosity, and heard a low sloshing sound from inside. "Some kind of liquid?" she wondered aloud. Even more curious now, she opened the box. Inside was a fancy bottle with a big tag on a string around the neck.

Frosty EggNog  
This is the very finest ancient traditional EggNog, made from a recipe passed down for centuries by the world's greatest Cryomancers. You'd be suprised at the variety of knowledge that was recorded in the EggNogonomicon - and this was the title entry! Ice magic gives this holiday favorite its frosty, sparkling texture. Try it, you'll love it!

Serenity looked up. "And it's got the recipe on it, too!"

"Well," Xan said, "you really struck me with your kindness and insight with that glass of iced water you brought me at your Inn the day after you healed me. And of course, those potions..." Serenity saw Jaania smiling at that, and she smiled herself with the memory of the laughter they'd all shared about the 'awfully nice beverages,' as Xan had put it. Xan and Warlic's faces showed the same happiness, and so did Cysero's even though he'd only heard about the incident second-hand.

Xan gave Serenity an earnest look and finished, "I wanted to give you something along the same lines, to honor that wonderful hospitality of yours. The EggNogonomicon was destroyed a few years ago, but I remembered this recipe and I thought it would make a nice gift for you."

"It's wonderful!" Serenity said, touched by his lasting appreciation for what she had seen as such small gestures on her part months earlier. "And with the recipe, I'll be able to serve it at my Inn. My guests should be delighted!"

Warlic quietly put a hand on Serenity's arm. "You never stop thinking about other people," he said.

Serenity blushed, looking into his eyes that seemed so wise and so young at the same time. "Thanks."

At the edge of her vision, Serenity saw Xan and Jaania exchanging a glance. "It's good to see you two so happy," Jaania said warmly. "You both deserve to be."

"You certainly do," Xan agreed. Then he grinned mischievously at Jaania. "Guess what?" he said. Putting one hand into the bag of presents he pulled out a very thin, flat, diamond-shaped box. "Here's YOUR Frostval present!"

"MY present?" Jaania asked, sounding completely surprised. "I didn't know Xanta's elves get presents!"

Xan shook his head, smiling at her. "Did you possibly think, my Jaania, that I would give presents to everyone else and not you? Open it!"

"All right... I wonder what it is!" she said, plainly mystified. She opened the box and gasped in quiet delight. "Xan, my love!"

"What is it?" Serenity asked, leaning forward to see. Jaania pulled loose a bright, grass-green diamond of strong thin fabric pulled tight across a simple crossed framework. Rippling down from it were two long ribbons of the same fabric, and the whole thing was attached to a ball of fine white string.

"It's a _kite!_" Jaania said almost in wonder. "How did you ever think of it?"

"I know how much you love being out in the wind," Xan said softly. "You've told me so many times how free it makes you feel."

_Of course,_ Serenity thought. _After Xan and Warlic's wind spells broke her loose from that terrible crystal, Jaania has every reason in the world to love the wind._

"Look at this!" Jaania said, turning the kite over to show the words that were stitched into it in pale-green thread. The shape of the letters was unmistakably the same as Xan's writing; he must have done it by hand.

Festive Frostval Kite  
Who says kite flying is only a summer activity? Dress warm! Bring a wind spell!

Xan gave Jaania a fiercely delighted thumbs-up. "And it's completely fireproof, too! AHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA!"

It could not have been more different from the painful way Xan had laughed months earlier, before he'd been healed. Catching Jaania's eye, Serenity saw that Xan's beloved was also hearing the difference.

A shadow suddenly fell across Serenity from behind; a long, ominous shadow with pointed, curved horns and a dangerous look to it. Turning around, she took a step back in alarm. She was looking right at three people who would probably be recognized and feared on sight by most of Lore's people: a tall, rust-red-armored and masked Doom Knight, an intensely determined-looking young exiled prince in bandit's armor, and a baby dracolich - the living skeleton of a dragon hatchling.

Sepulchure, Drakath, and Fluffy had arrived.

Artix put a hand on his sword. "Hang on! Are you guys here to ruin Frostval?"

**To Be Continued!**

* * *

Author's Note: Oh dear! What do Sepulchure and his sidekicks want? What's going to happen? Knowing _me_, nothing terrible... but you'll have to read Part Two of this chapter to find out! Go on, it's already posted. The "next chapter" arrow is ready and waiting to take you to the conclusion of this fanfic!


	14. Party in Frostvale PART TWO

Chapter 14: Party in Frostvale PART TWO

Author's Note: WHOA! Stop right here. If the last thing you read in this fic was Serenity talking with Warlic and Ash in Falconreach, then you are reading the WRONG chapter! This chapter is a two-parter. Go back one! The part you should be reading first starts with Serenity and Warlic actually ARRIVING outside the front gate of Frostvale village.

If you DID see Part One, great! Here's Part Two. =D

* * *

**Previously, in Part One:**

_A shadow suddenly fell across Serenity from behind; a long, ominous shadow with pointed, curved horns and a dangerous look to it. Turning around, she took a step back in alarm. She was looking right at three people who would probably be recognized and feared on sight by most of Lore's people: a tall, rust-red-armored and masked Doom Knight, an intensely determined-looking young exiled prince in bandit's armor, and a baby dracolich - the living skeleton of a dragon hatchling._

_Sepulchure, Drakath, and Fluffy had arrived._

_Artix put a hand on his sword. "Hang on! Are you guys here to ruin Frostval?"_

* * *

"Not this year," Sepulchure said in a measured but startlingly civil tone of voice. "You see, we got a letter from Jaania inviting us to attend the Frostval party as guests, not villains. Jaania said even bad guys need a vacation. She's a remarkable diplomat... I decided we should accept the invitation."

Artix looked like he was considering that for a moment. "Okay," he said after a thoughtful pause. Taking his hand off the sword, he held it out in welcome and briefly clasped Sepulchure's armored hand, then Drakath's half-gloved one. Finally he knelt down and offered the back of his hand to Fluffy. The baby interestedly sniffed, then shook out its wings and gave Artix an approving look. Chuckling at the little creature's cuteness, Artix stood up.

"Hey, I'm glad you guys showed up!" Xan said cheerfully. "And hang on - I have presents for you!" He started to rummage around in his enormous bag of gifts.

_Of course,_ Serenity thought. _Frostval is for __everyone__!_ She felt surprisingly calm and happy, considering that she was standing right in front of one of Lore's scariest villains. _But then, __Xan__ was one of Lore's scariest villains several months ago!_

The first present Xan got out was for Fluffy. It was a big, round package wrapped in crinkly brown paper. He set it down in front of the baby dracolich, who cheerfully started tearing the paper apart with its teeth and claws. Rolling right over, it held up the package above its upside-down body and continued to tear at it. Soon, Serenity saw a huge, red bouncy-ball appearing from inside the shredded wrapping paper. Fluffy delightedly stood back up and butted the ball hard with two white, bony horns, making it roll away across the snow. Immediately the little dragon chased after it, skidding and scampering along like any young creature.

"It's puncture-proof," Jaania said to Sepulchure, and the Doom Knight turned back from watching his dragon pet to look at her through the eye-slits of his mask.

"Fluffy will enjoy that," Sepulchure said coolly. "Thank you. Baby dragons need to be kept busy, I've found, or they go crazy... and drive _you_ crazy."

"I think a lot of Adventurers would agree with you!" Serenity said, remembering the rambunctiousness of many young dragons she'd met along with their human companions.

"And here," Xan said, handing Sepulchure a red and green ribbon with a white holly leaf design printed on it. "Your dragon ran off a little fast, so I'll just give this to you. It's a Frostval ribbon for Fluffy to wear around his neck... or is it a her?"

"We're not sure," Drakath spoke up. "Fluffy doesn't seem to care if it's a boy or a girl. It just likes running in circles and destroying things."

Serenity couldn't help giggling at that description. That sounded so much like _any_ baby! _Sepulchure and Drakath might be villains,_ she thought, _but I get the idea they're treating Fluffy well. I'm glad of that._

"Oh, Drakath," Xan said, "I have a present for you too, but it's sort of a two-person present. This is for you _and_ Ash Dragonblade." He looked around. "Ash?"

Ash stepped forward. "Me?" he asked. Looking at the youthful prince who was only a few years older than Ash himself, he grinned and put a hand behind his head. "Um, hi, Drakath! I guess we're usually enemies but, well, hi anyway!"

"Hi there!" Drakath answered, seeming a little bit taken aback himself but also friendly.

Xan held out an odd-shaped, flat box about the size of one of the serving trays Serenity used at her Inn. Visibly curious, Ash and Drakath both reached out and took hold of it by opposite edges. They tore off the paper, then looked at each other in surprise over the top of the two flat, lightweight rackets and the small brown bag that obviously contained several tennis balls.

"It's a tennis set," Xan said. "You guys need a chance to play and be kids. Being serious and responsible all the time is a good way to wear yourselves out!"

Drakath and Ash, still holding the tennis equipment between them, nodded to each other at the same second.

"You're on!" Ash said.

"Sounds great!" Drakath replied.

They both looked at Xan. "Thanks, Xanta!" they said together.

"You're welcome," he said. "Have fun with it!"

Stepping up next to Xan, Jaania handed Sepulchure a long, rectangular box. "We both thought hard about what to give you," she said. "I hope you like this."

Sepulchure's mask inclined downward to look at the box in his hands. Without a word, he slowly and deliberately undid the green ribbon and unwrapped the bright sky-blue paper. Serenity was amazed to see anyone so composed while opening a Frostval gift. _I suppose that Sepulchure has many, many years of stern self-discipline stretching behind him..._ Somehow she was sure that, in spite of his calm outward attitude, he was really as excited and curious about his present as everyone else had been.

As he lifted the lid off the box, Sepulchure suddenly paused and didn't move at all for a second. Then he lifted out a beautiful, glossy brown violin with silvery strings and shiny brass accents. Lying along the front of the instrument was the bow for playing it, made of the same warm, deep-brown wood.

"What? I haven't had one of these since I was a little boy."

"I remember you mentioned that once," Xan said. "It seemed to be a memory that meant something to you." Indicating the violin with one hand, he added, "This one was made by sneevil artisans. They have very clever little fingers!"

"Indeed they do," Sepulchure said, in a tone of appreciation for the instrument's workmanship. Tucking the violin into the corner of his arm, he pulled off his red gauntlets one after the other and reached around to put them into his backpack. His hands were lean and strong-looking, and just a little bit wrinkled. "Ordinarily I'd put this against my chin," he said with a slight shrug, "but Doom Knights who wear big masks all the time have to improvise." He took a careful grip on the violin with his left hand, tucking it into place against the shoulder of his armor, and held the bow in his right hand.

"Wait a moment... I think I remember how." Sepulchure walked off to the side and quickly vanished beyond a clump of Frostval pines.

An assortment of truly terrifying sounds came from the direction of Sepulchure and his violin. A moment later, they gradually started resolving themselves into an elegant strain of slightly old-fashioned music. Serenity smiled, catching Xan's eye, and saw him give her a triumphant thumbs-up.

Several seconds after that, Sepulchure came striding back into view, the grand, almost mysterious music swirling in the air ahead of him and all around as he played his instrument. His imposing red mask covered most of his face as usual, but Serenity caught a glimpse of a relaxed and somehow very sweet-looking smile behind it. She wondered if she should feel surprised, but found that she couldn't. _He's__ a person too,_ she thought.

"Thank you, Xan," the archvillain said, in a voice that, just for the moment, held none of his usual cruelty and cold arrogance - but still just as much pride and dignity as always. "And you, Jaania. It was good of you to invite us. I guess everyone needs to find a little peace, at least once in a while."

"We certainly do," Xan replied.

A voice from a little distance away drew Serenity's attention. "Wow, these are neat!"

"I'll say!" a second, higher-pitched voice agreed from somewhat closer to the ground.

Serenity knew those voices very well. She looked in their direction and saw, as she had expected, Lim the experimental scientist and his assistant Lime, a lime-green Moglin. Their shop was right across from her Inn; she remembered being scared by Lime's interest in explosions and dangerous science when the little Moglin had joined up with Lim, but now the Innkeeper and both of the scientists were friends. Like Cysero, the two enthusiastic researchers had only good intentions and were only an _accidental_ danger to the people of Falconreach. And they had proved that they were always willing to put right any disasters they did cause.

"Hi, Lim and Lime!" Serenity said, waving to them. "What did you get?"

Lim waved back, beaming from behind his round glasses. "It says here that these are fireproof and explosion proof Scientist Outfits," he said, holding up a folded bundle of fabric covered with all kinds of buckles and doodads.

"They were made by Xan and Professor Ellinie of Swordhaven Magic Academy," Lime put in brightly. The little Moglin was holding up a Moglin-sized cloth-and-gadgets bundle that looked very similar to Lim's. "She's the Explosion teacher! Now we can wear these when we do our REALLY dangerous experiments and we won't get hurt."

"Sounds good!" Serenity said honestly. "I worry about you guys sometimes, you know."

* * *

"The sneevils are distributing the rest of the regular presents now," Xan said, speaking loud and clear enough to be easily heard by everyone in the area. "Bonus time!" Reaching into the bag again, he pulled out armload after armload of red Xanta Hats and green Xanta's Elf Hats and started passing them around to everyone who wanted one. Soon the crowd of Frostval guests was dotted with a scattered assortment of bright, colorful hats.

"Those are great... very festive!" a new voice said, as a man in royal-blue mage robes with silver trim stepped into view near the east edge of the Frostvale town square. He had short, soft-looking blond hair and bright brown eyes, and he looked ever so slightly familiar to Serenity. But she couldn't place him.

Xan looked over at the newcomer and smiled in welcome. "Ah, Zachary, my fellow Frostval conspirator! It's good to see you. I hope you brought lots of candles!"

"I did," Zachary answered. His face was serious for a moment, then broke into a wide grin. "Plus I brought these!" He pulled a rather large sack out of his backpack and opened it. "Happy Frostval, everyone! I've brought holiday Dreidels for all!"

"This is Zachary the Candlemancer," Warlic said, looking at Serenity. "He's as much a part of Frostval as Xanta Claus is. I remember when he was in school with the rest of us at Swordhaven... Zachary was always very good with light spells. Now he's decided to specialize in the magic of candles. And he's also quite a craftsman - he makes all these dreidels himself! He carves them out of wood from fallen trees by hand."

Circulating around through the crowd on quick, nimble feet, Zachary began to give out heaps of dreidels. Serenity remembered these clever spinning toys from other Frostvals - these were handheld ones that you could play with safely, though, not the large and rather scary monster variety that she'd seen once or twice in years when the winter holiday had gotten out of hand. Taking one herself, she examined the symbols and pictures that were printed on the various sides.

"Thanks, Zachary!" she called after him, as he started to disappear from sight among the other guests, still handing out the simple yet beautiful toys. She looked around at the sea of happy, celebrating people, recognizing quite a few of them. _It's great to see so many of my friends having such a good time!_

Then Serenity caught sight of an old friend, someone she had given up for lost long ago. Almost unable to breathe for a moment, she stared at him. Then her voice started working again. "_Konnan!_"

The young man had been the apprentice of Yulgar the Smith until a year and a half ago. Then, after a terrible attack by the dragon Akriloth had claimed his village, he had left his friends behind and gone to seek revenge for the family he'd lost, finally becoming a villain in his grief and fury. Serenity and the rest of Falconreach's people had believed he was dead - _But here he is!_ Serenity thought in disbelief.

Konnan stood just a little bit hesitantly at one edge of the crowd, near the spot where Zachary the Candlemancer had appeared. He was wearing a spectacular yellow-and-red outfit, very similar to Xan's shirt-and-pants style except that Konnan had chosen deep, brilliant yellow for the main color, with bright red trim. He looked up when Serenity called his name, and met her eyes across the distance between them.

"Hi, Serenity!" he called back, and the sound of his familiar voice that she hadn't heard in so long almost made her start crying. At the same time, several other people seemed to hear and recognize his voice, turning towards him with amazed expressions.

Reens ran right over and grabbed Konnan into a tight hug. "You know, we all love you," she said with heartfelt sincerity.

"Yeah, I guess I do know that," Konnan answered, his strong arms wrapped around the alchemist and squeezing her tightly in return. He closed his eyes for a second, and when he opened them, Serenity could see tears sparkling all across them. "And I can't lie to myself any more," Konnan finished, looking around at everyone. "I love all of you too."

"And I thought this Frostval was perfect already," Serenity whispered in awe, as she and Warlic hurried over to join the growing cluster of people who were gathering around him in loving, joyful welcome. "Konnan, you can't imagine how wonderful it is to see you alive and safe! But where were you?"

"I was held prisoner for a while." Konnan looked down at his wrists, and a look of vivid and very recent pain and anger flashed through his eyes for a second. "...It's a long story. But one thing's for sure. I'll never put chains on another being again the way I did to those young dragons, now that I know what it feels like to wear them."

"You were chained?" Serenity asked, appalled. "That's _terrible!_"

"I know," Konnan answered steadily. "That's part of why I realized I can't hurt other people anymore. It isn't fair."

Yulgar, in his sturdy clothes and leather work apron, came hurrying up to meet Konnan. His kind, craggy face was creased with guilt. "Please forgive me for not having had the faith to think you might be still alive," he said to his old apprentice. "I would have taken on the world with my fists or a toothpick to rescue you, if I'd known."

"Of course you would have." Konnan spoke with complete conviction.

"What will you do now?" Serenity asked her young friend. "Will you go back to work at the forge, or find something else to do...?"

Konnan shook his head. "No, I'm definitely a Pyromancer now. I'm going to continue studying my magic. Xan taught me a lot when I was his apprentice, and I've been learning from the Candlemancer too. I've been staying with him for close to a year. He's a very wise man." The young fire mage smiled at Serenity. "One thing I've learned from Zachary is that fire is a source of light... and my power should be a source of good things."

"So you're not going to be a villain anymore?" the young Moglin named Chilly asked, looking up at Konnan with his round eyes even bigger than usual. "I'm glad. My dad Blizzy told me the story, and it was really sad how you got all hurt and mean!"

"No," Konnan said, kneeling down for a second to pick up the little Moglin and then standing up with Chilly on his shoulder. "I'll be raising a family of my own one day. And when I have kids, they won't need a villain for a daddy."

Circling back through the crowd, Candlemancer Zachary stopped next to Konnan and put a friendly hand on his back. He looked at Xan and Jaania and Warlic, and a warm smile lit up his already happy face. Suddenly Serenity recognized him: Zachary had been the young man who'd cast the light spell in Professor Berith's class, right after Xan's wildly extravagant display with his fire magic and the classroom window.

Zachary looked around at all the partygoers and spoke to everyone. "Sometimes things can be really scary," he said. "Xan and Warlic and Jaania were hurt so badly and stayed that way for years, and Konnan had just been through a terrible time when I met him... But now look at how things are!" He spread his hands in a gesture of joy. "My friends from school are all right, after all this time! And so is my new friend Konnan. We should all be ready to believe and hope for anything."

Konnan looked to the side, and his eyes focused sharply on one of the people who stood nearby. "YOU!" he said forcefully. "I have to talk to you."

Serenity looked to see who he was talking to. With a deep and respectful feeling of appreciation, she recognized the great hero of the Fire War. _That's the person who tried so hard to save Konnan's family and couldn't,_ she remembered. _The one who basically saved Lore, but was so devastated by not being able to protect that village - and by Konnan falling into evil because of it._

The Adventurer came over, looking very unhappy. "Konnan, I am _so,_ so sorry!"

"No," Konnan said with conviction, taking the Adventurer's hand and squeezing it in a firm and reassuring grip of friendship. "You did what you could."

"Thank you, Konnan." The hero's face brightened into a relieved smile, and the brave eyes that had been so sad now clearly showed that a crushing weight had been lifted from the soul behind them. "And I'm glad you're all right."

"I couldn't be if not for you. _You_ reminded me who I am."

Just then, Galanoth the Dragonslayer stepped forward. Konnan turned towards the armored man, and now it was the young Pyromancer's turn to look guilty and ashamed.

"Galanoth..." Konnan said. "If there is anyone here who truly has reason to hate me, it's you. I..." He stopped for a few painfully silent seconds, as if the words were almost impossible for him to say. "I killed your brother."

Serenity looked down, remembering the day she had gotten that terrible news. Konnan, completely caught up in his hatred as the vengeful Drakonnan during the Fire War, had deliberately killed Galanoth's blood brother Demento.

When Serenity looked up again a second later, Galanoth was shaking his head. Holding out a hand in the direction of the Fire War's hero, he turned his head directly towards Konnan.

Galanoth's face was concealed, of course, by the silver helm he always wore, but the expression in his voice was clear. "If you can forgive... so can I."

Konnan stared at him for a moment, silent. "Thank you," he said finally. "But I still wish I hadn't done it."

"Now hang on a second," Xan said, stepping quickly forward and staring hard at Konnan. "Sepulchure told me he had killed you. But you're definitely alive. To think I believed him! I must have been crazy! ...Well, I guess I was."

"I heard him say it," Konnan said gravely. He put a hand on Xan's shoulder in a reassuring, friendly gesture. "It's not your fault you believed him. I almost believed some of the things he told _me_, too."

Xan stared at him in dismay. "You were _there?_" he asked. "Right there? And I didn't know?"

"I was there," Konnan confirmed grimly. Then with an effort of will that Serenity could almost see, he banished the pain of whatever he was remembering from his eyes. His voice was bright and strong as he continued speaking. "But that's more than enough about these kinds of things! This is _Frostval!_"

"It sure is!" Xan said. "And that reminds me - I didn't know you were coming, and I didn't bring you a present! Hang on, I'll be right back." With that, he teleported right out of Frostvale and left Serenity, Konnan, and pretty much everyone else blinking in surprise.

* * *

Appearing on the open lawn at Aeris Battlespire, Xan looked around. The party here was smaller and less extravagantly decorated than the one in Frostvale, but definitely just as happy. Soon, he spotted the person he was looking for. The young man was wearing a bold blue suit of armor, and a dragon-head mask of the same color. Xan had dueled against him many times in the past, and he was a strong and confident opponent in spite of being very young.

Xan walked right up to him. "Come on, we're going to Frostvale right now!"

The Aeris duelist looked at him with a puzzled air. "What? But we're already having our own party here!"

"Trust me, okay?" Xan asked. He wasn't about to give away the surprise of his reason for asking, or say anything that would hurt his young friend by making him wonder if it was true before he saw for himself.

"Sure...?" the fighter said agreeably, if confusedly. He reached out and took Xan's hand.

Without another word, Xan teleported them both right back to Frostvale.

* * *

Serenity watched, not sure what was going on, as Xan reappeared less than a minute after he had left. Now he was accompanied by a person in blue armor and a mask. _In fact,_ Serenity thought, surprised, _that mask looks an awful lot like the one Konnan was wearing when he'd decided to be Drakonnan..._

The newcomer, staring at Konnan, suddenly removed his mask and hung it on his belt with an air of barely noticing what he was doing. To Serenity's surprise, his face looked almost like Konnan's! The young man appeared to be in his mid-teens, only a year or two younger than Konnan had been when he disappeared and then became Drakonnan.

"My little brother!" Konnan exclaimed, running forward to catch him up in a crushing hug.

"What? _Konnan?_" The newcomer hugged Konnan back, crying. "Yeah, it's me. But you! I was sure you were dead!"

"I thought I _knew_ you were!" The outright astonishment in Konnan's voice was very close to the way Serenity herself felt. She'd been as certain as everyone else than Konnan's entire family had been killed when the dragon Akriloth burned down his village.

"Konnas, how did you survive?" Konnan asked.

"I found a way through the fires," his brother answered. "I thought our parents and sisters were with me, but they disappeared..." He shook his head. "By the time I found out where _you_ were, you had already gone off on your quest for revenge. That's why I went to the Aeris Battlespire. I was going to find you and talk to you, try to convince you to give up the evil, but I knew you might not listen to me. So I needed to be strong enough that I could fight you if I had to. And then - then I got the news that you were dead. I kept training... I was determined to become strong enough to defend anyplace that's ever threatened in the future the way our village was. And I'm still going to do that! I'm just so glad you really didn't die."

"I thought I'd lost all of you," Konnan said. "I thought I could live with it, but now - Konnas, you're back! You're safe!"

"They call me Drakonnas now, not just Konnas." At Konnan's puzzled and somewhat alarmed look, Drakonnas answered, "No, I'm not a villain. I've just named myself for a dragon's strength... because that's what I decided I was going to need." His face took on a proud look. "I'm an Electromancer. I found out I have a talent for energy spells, and it's very powerful magic."

"And you've been keeping secret who you are all this time? Serenity asked.

"Mostly," Drakonnas said. "Keelia up at Aeris Battlespire knows, but she agreed not to tell anyone who I am. And Xan obviously recognized me."

"The side of your face looks like his," Xan said, nodding first at Drakonnas and then at Konnan. "Behind the masks."

"This is the best Frostval present you could have given either of us," Konnan said. "Letting us know each other are alive."

Xan looked straight at Konnan. "I knew perfectly well what you would want more than anything else."

"You were right. Thank you _so_ much!" Konnan smiled. "I didn't always realize it, but you've always been a friend." He looked up at the sky suddenly. "If only the rest of our family..." Serenity's heart ached at the grief in his voice.

"I don't believe they're dead," Drakonnas said earnestly, his eyes shining. "I just have this _feeling_ they're alive somewhere. I mean, _you're_ okay, Konnan! So why should I think they might not be, too?"

Konnan looked down and stared into his little brother's face in shock. "Could it be?" He seemed to be considering whether or not to let himself feel hope. Then he nodded once, and that hope awoke like a bright light in his eyes. "We'll look for them together."

* * *

"Well, I guess that's it for the presents," Xan said at last.

"Not quite," Loremaster Maya declared cheerfully. "Now _we_ have a surprise for _you!_"

"What?" the Pyromancer said. To Serenity's delight, he did sound utterly and totally surprised. Beside him, Jaania looked just as surprised as he did.

"You never suspected!" Valencia said brightly, with a victorious look in her eyes. "It's for all of you - the Raindeer and the sneevils and Rudolph too!" Turning to Cysero, she beckoned excitedly. "Cysero's got it - come on, give them the box!" The Rare Item Hunter was clearly unable to contain her excitement. Serenity herself was having a hard time keeping her calm, now that Xan and Jaania and their friends were about to get their surprise. Everyone else looked about to bounce out of their shoes, too. Only Warlic was standing reasonably still and composed, and when Serenity looked at his face, she saw that the corners of his lips were twitching pretty hard.

With a beaming grin on his face, Cysero zipped forward and held out a box to Xan. "Go ahead, open it!" he said, handing it to the very startled and now very curious-looking Pyromancer.

"What could it be?" Jaania wondered aloud, as she and Xan pulled the bright magenta ribbon from the box. One of their helpers, a young lady sneevil, ran over and grabbed the ribbon and tied it into her long, shaggy black hair. Delighted, she ran off again to join the other sneevils who were now looking very busy with their enormous pile of boxes.

Meanwhile, Serenity watched as Xan and Jaania opened the lid of their own box. The two of them shared a puzzled glance, then tipped the box forward to show everyone what it contained. Inside, Serenity could see a tightly folded mass of... something. Curious, she looked closer. She was in on the surprise, of course, but hadn't yet seen what it looked like when packed away in its box. The material was mostly white, with splashes of red and green and small bits of other bright colors as well.

"Why don't you set it up outside of town?" Cysero suggested. "This is going to take a bit of room."

"All right," Xan said, still sounding mystified.

Blizzy the sky-blue Moglin stepped forward. "This way! If we go through the north gate, there's a great big open field. It'll be perfect!"

"Lead the way!" Jaania said, and Blizzy led a big crowd of people out through the gate. Rudolph, his team of Raindeer, and the little sneevil Elves all streamed toward the group and excitedly accompanied their human friends.

Serenity heard a series of jubilant squeaks off to her left. Turning, she saw her laundry golem scampering and tumbling towards her, covered with haphazard patches of snow and grinning all over its winter-hat face.

"You must have been having a good time!" she greeted it, scooping it up into her arms as it reached her. "Come on, let's go see Xan and his friends get their present!"

* * *

In the middle of the snow-covered field just north of Frostvale, Xan and Jaania tipped the contents of their gift box out onto the snow. They both stepped back in surprise as it started to expand. The compressed material quickly unfolded itself and filled out into a large squarish shape. In seconds, it revealed itself to be a medium-sized white brick building like a cottage with a pointed roof of cozy-looking tan shingles. A second section was attached to the side of the building, with a long, sloping blue roof and wood-shuttered windows.

Serenity watched in delight as Xanta and all his helpers moved forward to examine the structure. She already knew what was written on the little gold plaque by the door.

Xanta's Workshop  
A gift from the people of Lore to the Frostval heroes who bring us all presents because they LOVE to! This portable workshop has everything - there's even a stable where the Raindeer can stay when they choose! (This item is a Cysero's House Shop original: no other like it in all of Lore!)

Xan and Jaania turned around, framed in front of the brightly-accented workshop. They both looked surprised and completely thrilled with their gift. Meanwhile, the sneevils were crowding around the workshop and admiring its walls and colorful trim. Several of the Raindeer were already poking their noses - alongside Rudolph's bright red one - into the open doorway at the far end of the building's annex, which Serenity knew was their stable.

"Cysero?" Xan said. "You gave us a workshop we can keep in a box? That's amazing. I didn't know your house magic had gotten _that_ good!"

Cysero shrugged. "It's a special occasion. I tried out a few new ideas... once I added the applesauce, it really worked!"

_"Applesauce?"_ Xan asked in disbelief. "...Never mind. It's turned out wonderful! This will be very handy!"

"Look around," Serenity said. "We've all added something to make this an extra special gift for you guys."

A little distance in front of the workshop's door, a striped red-and-white pole with a curved top stood firmly planted in the snow. Jaania stepped over to examine it; it was about her same height, and big enough around that she could just barely close her two hands around it. Then she knelt down to look at the base. "Look, there's an inscription!"

Candy Cane North Pole  
There could only be one totally authentic, original peppermint candy North Pole in the world, and this is it! What a rare find! Valencia and her dashing father Trey Surehunter had to quest all over the Peppermint Realm to find this, but it was worth it. Happy Holidays to Xan and Jaania and the sneevils and the Raindeer and Rudolph... (Daddy, do you think this item description is getting too long?) (No, Valencia, it's perfect! They'll love it! *grin*)  
Rarity: 100

"You guys were right!" Jaania said, standing up with snow-powder all over the knees of her leggings. She gave Valencia and Trey an appreciative thumbs-up. "This really is unique! And nifty, too. It's the perfect landmark for Xanta's Workshop!"

"Yeah," Xan put in. "Now no matter where we set this place up, it'll always be at the North Pole."

"What this?" The curious, interested voice belonged to a sneevil who was checking out something several paces away, in front of the workshop on the side opposite from the Raindeer's stable. Suddenly the sneevil's voice turned ecstatic. "Box on a stick!"

"You found the mailbox!" Cysero said, walking over to stand by the sneevil. To Xan and Jaania, he added, "This is a really great piece of magic. Check it out!"

Xan came running over to take a look himself, with Jaania close at his side. "Let's see this," he said. Looking at it, he nodded. "Yep, the item description's right here on the side." He moved a bit to one side to make room for some of the others to read it too. Serenity didn't need to look, though; she knew what this was and who had brought it. She was still amazed by the magic he had used to create it.

Xanta's Mailbox  
When a letter addressed to Xanta Claus is dropped into any mailbox on Lore, it will magically appear in this one. The spell uses a combination of teleportation and name magic. Now Xanta's friends can write to him anytime! There is a small signature at the lower edge of the mailbox that reads "Warlic, the Blue Mage."

"Hey, this is awesome!" Xan said, looking at his friend. "Thanks, Warlic."

"You're welcome," Warlic answered simply.

Sticking his antlered head out through the door of the stable, Rudolph gestured with a quick jerk of his nose back toward the inside. "You guys have got to come see what's in here!" he declared.

Serenity, Warlic, and the others followed Xan and Jaania around to look inside the stable. It was a roomy, comfortable-looking place, with straw-lined open stalls along the edges of a broad central hallway. As with many of Cysero's houses and buildings, it seemed much larger on the inside than the outside. Scattered throughout the open area, the twelve Raindeer were already checking out and starting to play with a collection of Raindeer Games which seemed to have come from a big wooden chest standing against the back wall.

"They're from Grams and Aria," Yulgar said. "It looks like your friends really like them, Rudolph!"

"Oh, me too!" Rudolph answered with a brief frolic. "I can't wait to try some out! But first I want to show you guys this. It looks, if I don't miss my guess, like Lim and Cysero made it."

Rudolph stepped up to a curious knee-high contraption. Serenity hadn't seen this one before: it was a somewhat mechanical-looking device with glowing lights, multicolored spinning parts that circled freely in the air around it, and an assortment of tubes and gadgets. On the side was an important-looking label that read:

Magiscientific Xanta's Sleigh Acceleratifier  
This mechanical artifact uses the magic of SCIENCE! to help Xanta's Sleigh get around the entire face of Lore in just one night!

"So you guys _did_ start working together!" an Adventurer said, giving Cysero and Lim an appreciative look. "Way to go! Magiscience rocks!"

"Yeah, we've discovered that," Cysero said.

Lim nodded. "It definitely took both ways of thinking to make THIS invention."

By now Xan, Jaania, and several of the sneevils were busily examining the Acceleratifier.

"This is just what the sleigh needed," Jaania was saying.

"I'll say," Xan agreed. "Now we can bring presents to everyone next year, whether they come to the Frostvale party or not. It'll be exciting, zooming around Lore that fast!"

"Yeah," Rudolph said. "That'll be one wild run for me and my team!" A few excited sparks snapped in the air around his nose. "Well, you go check out whatever's inside the workshop. My friends are waiting for me!" With a flip of his tail, he turned and scampered over to join in the Raindeer Games, much to all the Raindeer's delight.

* * *

Inside, it turned out that the main part of the workshop was also much bigger than it appeared from the outside, just like the stable. There was a large central room, an open archway leading into a kitchen area off to the left, and several other doors leading to more rooms at various places along the walls.

Blizzy and Chilly looked at each other and grinned. Jumping down from Konnan's shoulder, the younger pale-blue Moglin ran to join his father. They both scurried over to a fancy sort of table next to the kitchen archway, about waist-high to the humans and topped with two slim posts that held up a fluffy white awning a little above even Sepulchure's or Rolith's height. Standing on the table were an assortment of silver pots like coffeepots, round glass jars of various spices and things, and other festive and delicious-looking stuff.

"On behalf of the Frostvale Moglins -" Blizzy started proudly.

"- We'd like to present this Cocoaberry Juice Stand!" Chilly finished.

"Wow, really?" Xan said. "Cocoaberry juice is the best!"

Serenity smiled, watching her friends running delightedly from one surprise to the next. A moment later, Jaania picked up a bright, decorated tome from one of the shelves in the kitchen.

"That's _my_ present to you all," Maya said, stepping forward with the singular dignity of the ancient deity she really was.

As Jaania turned to face the rest of the group, holding the big book in front of herself, Serenity saw what was printed on the cover in bold, fancy gold and silver letters.

Cookienomnomnomicon  
An original, signed copy of the most amazing book of cookie recipes in Lore. Some magical, some ordinary, and all delicious! This tome has been passed down from ancient times, with recipes being added by many people along the way. Legend has it that this book was really first written by a MONSTER!

"Sweet! I get to bake cookies!" Jaania exclaimed, her face wreathed in smiles. Opening the book, she started flipping through the pages with great interest.

Moving swiftly forward to stand beside her, Xan looked down at the cookbook tome with just as much delight. He gave Jaania a mischievous grin. "Not so fast! Me too!"

"And us! And us!" a sneevil said, bouncing up and down. Xan turned to the little goblin and reached down to give it a high-five of agreement, and Jaania nodded decisively at her fellow Frostval Elf. Then she looked back at the Cookienomnomnomicon.

"It's signed 'Cookie Monster'," Jaania said, looking at the inside cover of the book. "I wonder what kind of creature that might be?" she mused aloud.

"Blue and furry?" Aria suggested at random. "That could be cute."

"Could be," Loremaster Maya said with a shrug. "I'm as much at a loss as the rest of you. In any case, some of these recipes are great. I've tried them!" A cute smile lit up her face. "I love cookies!" she added, for once sounding at least as young as she looked.

Finally setting down the tome, Xan and Jaania looked at another of the shelves and focused on a small wooden barrel with a red-and-gold three-pointed leaf painted on it.

"A leaf?" Xan asked.

Robina the Hood stepped forward with a look of interest on her face. "That's a maple leaf," the forest Ranger said.

"Sweet maple syrup from the trees near the farm where I grew up," Galanoth explained. "You can pour it on the snow, and it freezes into candy. It's not as fancy as that wonderful stuff the Cauldron Sisters make, but it's good!" He turned over the cask to show them the small white tag on the base.

Maple Syrup Cask  
Sweet and delicious - the perfect taste of home!

"CANDY!" at least six of the sneevils said at once. Their eager delight made Serenity remember that the sneevils had started out as human children, before Nythera the Purple Mage had changed them into this form in her own early childhood. Clearly, even though most of the sneevils were grown up now, they had all kept a child's sense of fun.

Back in the main room, Artix called the sneevils over to see something. "I brought a present just for all of you," he told them. Eagerly, the sneevils swarmed over and tore the paper off of a big, cylindrical package that stood at least a foot taller than most of them. Inside was a big wooden barrel with a white paper label on the front. Bold black letters on the label proclaimed:

Barrel of Fun  
Not only is this a CONTAINER, but it's full of all kinds of sneevil-themed and box-themed puns, games, and activities! Happy Frostval to all the sneevils from Lore's most pun-loving Paladin!

Without a second's delay, the sneevils all turned towards Artix and jumped all over him in a huge, exuberant group hug. Serenity thought it was a good thing Artix was so very strong, or he might have lost his footing. As it was, he almost disappeared for a moment under the swarm of happy sneevils.

As she happened to look up toward the ceiling, Serenity gasped at the beautiful sight that met her eyes. "Look!" she said, pointing up.

Warlic followed her gaze and smiled. "That has to be Zachary's gift," he said. "See, there is a description along one of the chandelier's lower arms." Indeed, the letters engraved into the glittering silver were so clear and sharp that Serenity could read them easily, even though they were small and a few feet above her head. Around her, everyone else was looking up to read it too.

Glowing Chandelier  
Wrought silver with bright blue candles! This elegant chandelier burns bright with love, joy, and Frostval spirit all year long.

Xan and Jaania looked down from the chandelier and smiled at Candlemancer Zachary. "It's a truly beautiful gift," Jaania said.

"Yes, it is," Xan agreed.

* * *

For the next half-hour or so, Xan and Jaania and the sneevils ran around like children all over their new workshop, discovering present after present. Their excited happiness was beautiful to watch, and Serenity felt that it was exactly what they deserved.

Then they came to the present that Serenity herself had brought. It was a big, heavy iron cauldron, with colorful pictures of Frostval decorations and different-colored popcorn all over the rounded black surface. "It's a Popcorn Kettle," Serenity explained. "I trained for weeks with Yulgar and Cysero to make it. And I put a spell on it so you can make all different kinds of popcorn, too. It was fun!"

"Great work, Serenity!" Konnan said with a big grin of proud approval. The young Innkeeper blushed; her friend's praise meant a great deal to her. She was especially flattered because she knew Konnan was skilled at both smithcraft and magic.

"And you have to see this!" Serenity said, pointing out a thick, square pile of heavy fabric that was folded up on the sofa against one wall.

Xan and Jaania picked it up. It was so big that it took both of them to hold it up, and the lower part of it still trailed on the floor and pooled in a soft heap of bright colors.

"This one's from me and Ash," Icemaster Yeti said, sounding a bit bashful. "It's a Friendship Rug, made with a ribbon or piece of cloth from just about EVERYBODY." He waved a big white hand at the valiant boy. "Ash traveled around all over Lore asking for the ribbons and things, and I wove them all together."

"You did a wonderful job," Ash said. "It's so bright!" Indeed, the big, oval braided rug was a riot of colors, unmistakably made from hundreds of different pieces.

"I'll fireproof it, and then we can lay it out in the middle of the floor and set the popcorn cauldron right on top of it!" Xan said delightedly.

"You know, if you run it with the lid off, the popcorn will fly EVERYWHERE!" Cysero suggested exuberantly. "I bet the sneevils would love that."

A roaring chorus of enthusiasm came from the sneevils, and also from the soft blue laundry golem who jumped right down from Serenity's shoulder to dance and bounce among them.

Xan and Jaania looked at each other and grinned. "We'll have to try that!" Xan said decisively. "Serenity, you and your laundry golem are invited to come visit for the occasion."

"We accept," Serenity said, formally inclining her head. "Thanks, Xan! It'll be fun!"

As he and Jaania set down the bright carpet, Xan looked at a small end table next to the sofa and picked up a small, brown-wrapped rectangular package that was lying on it. The present was about the size of a small book, and Serenity didn't recognize it.

"Who brought this?" Xan asked, looking around.

"I did." The voice was Konnan's. Giving the older Pyromancer a serious look, he said, "You were right all those months ago when you were training me... that rock music was just what I needed to get inspired and fight my hardest." Suddenly he grinned. "So I brought you this! Go on, open it."

Xan unwrapped the paper, and a small stack of clear, flat cases appeared from inside it. Each of them, Serenity saw, held a shiny round disk with a small hole in the middle. On the top case was a label that read:

Frostval Rock CDs  
For anyone who loves outrageous rock music, this one-of-a-kind holiday collection will delight you! Includes totally rockin' versions of old Frostval favorites, plus an assortment of great new hits. Featuring titles like "Rockin' Around The Time Machine" and "Cocoaberry Juice Picnic"!

"This is great!" Xan said. Then he started looking around. "Is there a boombox in this place?"

"Yup!" Cysero answered happily. "It's right over here." He reached out and opened an elegant gold-and-brown panel in the wall, to reveal a built-in boombox behind it.

"Nice!" Jaania said appreciatively. Xan grinned, giving Cysero a thumbs-up.

Cysero beamed in agreement. "Actually, Ikea's the one who brought it and installed it." He indicated a woman with short dust-brown hair pulled back in two soft, thick braids, who was standing rather quietly in a group of other people. "She's a fellow house-items merchant, hailing from far-off Dragesvard! Her taste in home decor is impeccable."

At Cysero's words, Ikea's composed face brightened into a sudden smile. "Hi, guys!" she said to everyone. "Xan, Jaania, I'm glad you like the boom box!" She looked around at the other Frostval guests. "It's been so much fun for all of us, setting up this Xanta's Workshop for you guys and your friends."

One of the sneevils came over, looking at the musical device with round eyes. "It's a BOX?" he asked, sounding awed and delighted. "I love it already."

"And wait until you hear what it does!" Xan put one of the CDs into the boom box and turned it on. Immediately, a rollicking tune burst forth from the speakers.

_Rockin' around the time machine, it's a quantum paradox  
Frostval bells jingle merrily as the fun knocks off your socks!_

All the sneevils promptly started dancing along to the music. Xan and Jaania, hand in hand with big grins on their faces, continued their exploration of the workshop.

In one of the adjoining rooms, they found Yulgar's present. One entire wall of the room was set up as a weaponsmith's forge, similar to the one in Yulgar's own smithy but a little differently arranged. Stamped into the front of the big, heavy anvil were the words:

Xanta's Forge  
A sturdy, practical forge with just a touch of magic. You supply the fire.

The Pyromancer turned to Yulgar and gave him a high-five. "This will be great for some of our projects!" he said.

Suddenly, Serenity noticed the Linken family from the lumber mill in Surewould Forest standing quietly off to one side. She thought they were looking a little shy about the idea of bringing attention to the gift they'd made. But she knew they had put a lot of work into making something really great.

Smiling, the Innkeeper walked over to them. "Why not show Xan _your_ gift?" she said quietly. "It's awesome!"

The three Linkens looked at each other. Then Oakley, the eldest, stepped forward.

"Okay," he said. A half-step behind him on either side, his younger brother Lief and their pretty sister Willow smiled and waved.

Oakley Linken gestured at the rows of tall, smoothly sanded and polished wooden shelves that lined the part of the room away from the forge. "Well, we thought that with all the presents you all keep making for everybody, you'd need some shelves to put them on! So we made these. They're all hardwood and they should be very durable." In spite of his self-consciousness, there was a definite sense of pride in Oakley's voice at the work that he and his brother and sister had done. Serenity knew that all three of them put that same pride and care into everything they made. It wasn't for nothing that the Linken Lumber Mill was the best place to go for anything made of wood!

Xan put an admiring hand on one of the shelves. "This is marvelous workmanship. And exactly what we'll need! Now to find the description... Ah, here it is." A small brass plate was smoothly attached to the front of one of the center shelves.

Xanta's Shelves  
Just what Xanta and his helpers need for their busy workshop! These sturdy and durable wooden shelves have lots of room for storing items that you can then equip to your X, Y, or Z buttons... Wait, wrong game.

* * *

Soon after that, the cheerful group finished checking out Xanta's Workshop and went back out to rejoin the rest of the Frostval celebration. Outside, the young blue troll named Oishii was singing in her sweet, high voice.

_Troll the ancient Frostval carol..._

Oishii broke off, giggling. "_Troll!_ Haha, get it? Like me! I'm a troll!"

By now, the sun was starting to sink and turn the west half of the sky to a rosy pink-and-gold display. The same colors were reflected on the snowy field and landscape of Frostvale. Taking Warlic's hand, Serenity just stood with him for a moment enjoying the sight. Then they followed the others back into the Moglins' town.

All at once, Serenity saw what the sneevils had been doing with their boxes. As one of them had proclaimed earlier, riding off with Cysero on his new Magic Carpet, they had now constructed a truly spectacular Sneevil SnowBox Fort. It had big, sturdy boxes spaced all along the walls, with packed sections of snow between them. Smaller boxes and more snow made up the battlements at the top, with bright-eyed sneevil faces peeking between them. Catching sight of a flash of green robes, Serenity saw one wacky, grinning mage face peeking through a snowy arched window too for an instant, before Cysero whisked out of sight.

"Hey! Wait for us!" Artix called, hurrying forward with the Purple Mage right beside him. The Paladin and Nythera bounced into the Sneevil SnowBox Fort feet first to play all around in it.

A moment later Nythera popped up from the middle of the fort, with a hat-sized box upside-down on her head. "Raaarr! I'm the Dragon of the Fortress!" It was almost scary, Serenity reflected, to see Nythera being so bright and cheerful all day long. But she was glad her new friend was having fun.

"A dragon?" Cysero said, popping up next to Nythera. "Cool! You make a scary dragon you know... seeing as you ARE half-dragon!" Cysero got out a magic marker and magically wrote an item description along one edge of the box for Nythera.

Nythera's Box Hat  
A Frostval memento for the person responsible for the sneevils and their love of boxes! This stylish hat is a great reminder of the importance of always having fun and acting like a kid!  
Bonuses: CHA +5, INT +2

There was a quiet rustle of wings, and Lady Vayle the good Necromantress stepped forward from the crowd outside the fort. She was a stunningly beautiful sight, with her short purple hair and the old-fashioned black-and-burgundy dress that just matched the color of her soft batlike wings. A childhood friend of the Paladin Artix, she had only recently found her way back from the many years she had spent under the influence of evil. _Now,_ Serenity thought, _she's finally getting the chance to live the way she should._

"Artix?" Vayle asked hesitantly. "Is that... fun?"

"You bet!" Artix told her with a big grin. "Come on in, Vayle! You deserve some fun."

Vayle stared at him uncertainly for just a few seconds. Suddenly her lovely face broke into an astonishing grin of her own. Scrambling up and across the low front wall of the SnowBox Fort, she flapped her small dark wings very hard to help lift herself over the wall. "Haha!" she said in an almost surprised tone as she perched for a moment on top of the snowy battlement. Then she bounced down into the fort and grabbed up a snowball. "Watch out, Artix!" With that, she lobbed it right at him.

The harmless, cold projectile smacked right into Artix's breastplate. Laughing, with his eyes crinkling up with happiness, he bent down and scooped up a whole armful of snowballs himself. "_You_ watch out, Vayle! _I've_ got the dragon on my side!"

A strong, youthful voice spoke up from several paces to Serenity's right. "Yes, be careful, Lady Vayle!" a young man in desert clothing said, completely straight-faced. "Dragons are formidable opponents!"

Robina, standing next to Serenity and Warlic, waved the Sandsea native over to join them. With a nod, he walked smoothly and confidently up to greet them.

"This is my teacher, Zhoom," Robina introduced him. "He taught me everything I know about being a Ranger."

"Zhoom?" Serenity asked, smiling at the muscular young man with the innocent bright green eyes. "I've heard of you! It's nice to meet you in person. I'm Serenity, the Innkeeper at Falconreach."

The desert Ranger looked Serenity up and down appraisingly, then smiled. "I am honored to meet you as well," he said seriously. A second later, he seemed to let go of the formality and just looked young and carefree. "Have you tried the cocoaberry juice?" he inquired. "Blizzy has the best recipe! It's so festive! But I must remember to bring some desert Orange Cider next year. I think you might all really like it!"

"I can't wait to try it," Serenity answered. "Do you put cinnamon in it?"

"No, ginger," Zhoom replied. "And a few other desert spices." Then he and Robina looked at each other, exchanged a nearly matching pair of nods and grins, and suddenly sprang forward to join the full-blown snowball fight that was now going on in the sneevils' fort.

"Let's go get some cocoaberry juice," Warlic suggested, and Serenity nodded her agreement. Turning to the east, they headed off in search of the Moglins who were serving refreshments.

"Hey there, punks!" an Inferno Elemental greeted them. Its bright green eyes and the emerald jewel in its forehead were sparkling. Surprised, Serenity recognized the elemental as the one who had first challenged her and Warlic and Cysero during their quest through Xan's fortress. Now, though, it was obviously just here for the party. It was burning deep red for the occasion, and wearing festive clouds of white steam around its back and shoulders to complete a truly Frostval color scheme.

"We never introduced ourselves when we met before," it said. "I'm Torchblaze. I know who you guys are, of course - Warlic and Serenity."

"How are you doing?" Warlic asked, as Serenity smiled in greeting to it.

"Fantastic!" the elemental answered cheerily. Then it gave them a serious look for a moment. "My friends and I really appreciate what you guys and Cysero did for our boss," it said. "You know, we _like_ being on fire, but that spell was pretty rough on him. But hey, he's okay now!"

With a contented snapping sound, Torchblaze turned and zoomed away over the snow before the two startled mages could say a word.

* * *

Walking beside Serenity on the way back from the east part of town with their mugs of hot cocoaberry juice, Warlic saw a dozen or more of the Pactogonal Knights of Oaklore doing the Moglin Hop. Sepulchure was playing the tune on his violin, as the knights cheerfully sang along.

"Do-do-do-do-doooo-dooo! Do-da-da-do! DO-da-do-da-dooooo-do-do-do -" Even the knights' armor added to the music with a deep, metallic "_Clank-clank-clank!_"

"Hello, Sir Ching!" Warlic said, recognizing one of the knights. The slender young man specialized in finding anyone or anything that might be lost - hence his name. But right now he was off-duty along with his fellow knights and their captain.

"Hi, Warlic!" Sir Ching replied, and Rolith waved to Warlic and Serenity too from where he was dancing along with his men. True to his word to Cysero not to let his life get boring, the tall blond Captain was clearly having a good time and enjoying himself at the party.

"Hello," a musical voice said from a little distance away. Warlic turned to look, but the speaker was not talking to him or Serenity. It was Queen Mynxitta of the Minx Fairies, hovering eye-to-eye with a grayish-orange and very dignified Moglin elder.

Twilly's grandfather reached out with his furry right paw to touch the Fairy Queen's tiny hand. "You must be the Queen of Minx Forest," he said in a tone of formal greeting, but his face was shining with friendly appreciation. "I've been told it was your tear that healed Xan from the fire spell he was trapped in. On behalf of all of the Moglins, I'd like to thank you."

"It was partly for you that I shed that tear," Queen Mynxitta answered. "I know that you and your people tried very hard to help young Xan when he was first hurt."

Warlic smiled, closing his eyes and tilting his head down toward the ground. He remembered that himself, and he had always been very grateful to the Moglin healers for their determined effort.

"And now _everybody's_ safe," Serenity said beside him in her gentle, compassionate voice. "You too, Warlic."

Still smiling, Warlic looked at her and briefly touched her hand. "Yes, we are." Side by side, they walked along again, enjoying the beautiful Frostval celebration and each other's company.

Even the normally somber SoulWeaver Tomix appeared to be relaxing and unwinding a little for the occasion. Standing against a brightly decorated pine tree with his arms folded, it almost looked like he hadn't changed from his usual coolly serious pose; but there was a bright twinkle in his eyes, and his stern mouth looked like he might break out grinning at any second. And most telling of all, his magically color-changing SoulWeaver outfit had lightened from its usual deep gray and black to a sunny shade of purple.

Beside him, the gentle spirit called Aspar who was Tomix's closest friend was looking downright merry. His slender, deep-and-glowy purple form was poised like a dancer ready for flight, and on top of his floating, curling purple hair he wore a bright red-and-white Xanta Claus hat. As the bright spirit made some quiet comment to his human friend, Tomix suddenly did grin.

Warlic smiled to himself at the sight, and waved a cheerful Frostval greeting to the two of them as he and Serenity walked along. _It seems that __everyone__ is happy this Frostval,_ he thought.

Movement on the round thatched roof of one of the Moglin houses caught Warlic's and Serenity's attention. Perched on top of the straw were Cysero and the little yellow Moglin called Twig, happily chatting away over two heaping bowls of - what else? - fish and ice cream. Warlic shook his head in quiet amusement. He knew very well how much his roommate loved fish, and if Twig was ever going to find a human to share his enjoyment of 'Fish and Ice Cweam,' it WOULD be Cysero.

"There you are!" It was Jaania's voice. Warlic looked in that direction and saw her running lightly over the snow toward him and Serenity.

He could not get over the joy of seeing her free and out in the world again. "Jaania!" he called back in a friendly greeting. "Hello!"

"Warlic!" Jaania grabbed his hand, her eyes dancing with joy. "Come on! Xan and I have something great to show you both." Laughing in sheer happiness, she turned and led the other two mages a little distance to where Xan was standing.

"Hi, guys!" Xan said. "It looks like Jaania found you pretty fast! We have to tell you something really wonderful."

"Next year, I'll be Mrs. Xanta Claus!" Jaania said excitedly. She leaned her head against Xan's shoulder, and he put his arm around her. They both looked so happy that Warlic's heart soared with joy at the sight. He just couldn't be sad anymore that Jaania had chosen Xan. The two of them were _so_ much in love with each other!

"Congratulations!" the Blue Mage said, completely meaning it.

"Yes," Serenity agreed. Warlic could tell from her voice that she was as happy for their two friends as he was. Then she looked curiously at Jaania. "You said you have something to show us, too?" she asked.

Jaania nodded. "We asked Feanor of Lymcrest to make these rings for us," she said.

"He finished them several days ago," Xan added.

"They're our engagement rings now," Jaania said. "And when we get married, they'll be our wedding rings." She and Xan each held up a hand to show off the rings they were wearing.

Xan's ring was a plain, solid, rounded gold circle that looked as if nothing could ever break it. The rich, deep-yellow metal seemed to glow from inside with power and strength. Tiny letters engraved right into the gold proclaimed:

Indomitable Spirit Ring  
Xan, you fight through everything and you never give up. I'll love you forever. -Jaania.

The ring Jaania wore was shaped like a coil of very beautiful, slim and elegant flames, running one after another all around her finger. It was made of dazzling reddish gold, the color that regular gold would have looked in the light from a glowing fire. Something about the magic that Feanor had used in creating it made the light and colors in the ring actually move and shift, so that it almost seemed to be made of real fire.

Flashfire Ring  
Jaania, your heart is as quick and bright as a dancing flame. I'll love you forever. -Xan.

_What would I say about Serenity?_ Warlic wondered, startling himself with the thought. Taking her hand, he smiled. _I may just have to decide that one day. And I wonder what she might say about me?_

"May I have everyone's attention, please?" Maya was saying. Warlic and Serenity, hand in hand, turned to look at the cheerful, smiling Loremaster as she spoke. "What better way to conclude a wonderful Frostval celebration than with a lot of beautiful carols? And one of our guests of honor, Xan here, has offered to sing the first one."

She gestured to Xan, and he nodded in acknowledgement. Stepping forward with his boots crunching almost musically through the snow, he stood boldly in front of the blazing campfire and faced everyone.

"Jaania, I sang this song for you the last time I was here in Frostvale." Xan looked directly at her, and his fiery green eyes blazed with absolute happiness. "But it's even better this year... just like this is the most wonderful Frostval I've ever known."

Ultimately confident, as much of a natural showman as Warlic knew he had always been, Xan launched right into his merry Frostval song.

_"Oh, the weather outside's delightful  
And the fire is also delightful  
As long as you love me so  
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!"_

* * *

Author's Note: Xan's lyrics for "Let it Snow!" are my reprise of Artix Entertainment's reprise that they included in the "Xanta Claus" quests. I wonder if they noticed, when they were writing that quest, that the carol Xan was singing is actually a love song? =D

The knight called Sir Ching was my son Artix Fanboy's idea. (Thanks!)

I really hope you enjoyed this story! And now that it's finished, Razzle and I are getting ready to launch into a project of making a complete audio recording of it. _And_ you're invited! The audio-fic, when it's finished, will go on our website called the Audio Fanfiction Library. (There's a link to that site at the top of my author profile, so you can easily go check it out!) Some of the character roles are already taken but a lot aren't. We need LOTS of people to play characters for this, and you don't have to "prove you're good enough" or anything un-fun like that. None of us are professionals - those people are in studios getting _paid_ for their time! =D So just send me a PM if you'd like to play someone, and I'll let you know if you can!


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